


October Days

by deadhuntress



Category: Parks and Recreation, Supernatural
Genre: 30 Day OTP Challenge, Alternate Universe, Autumn, Canon Compliant, Established Relationship, F/M, First Kiss, First Meetings, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-01
Updated: 2016-10-31
Packaged: 2018-04-29 05:29:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 31
Words: 26,879
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5117300
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/deadhuntress/pseuds/deadhuntress
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A series of short (generally 1k or less), unrelated fics written for an autumn-themed 30 day prompt challenge that I found on Tumblr. I will be publishing one a day for every day of October.</p><p>As a note, there is no crossover between the SPN and P&R fandoms; each story is written for either one or the other (though some of the SPN ones will be both Destiel and Sabriel). The pairing and specific tags for each fic can be found in the notes for the chapter, or as follows:</p><p>Destiel Chapters: 3, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 14, 16, 18, 21, 22, 23, 25, 27, 28, 29, 30<br/>Sabriel Chapters: 1, 3, 4, 11, 12, 16, 19, 26, 29, 30, 31<br/>Benslie Chapters: 2, 6, 13, 15, 17, 20, 24</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Making Caramel/Candy Apples

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fandom: Supernatural  
> Pairing: Sabriel  
> Word Count: 788  
> Tags: fluff, alternate universe, married!au, domestic!au

Sam Winchester wasn’t sure what he was expecting to see when he walked into his kitchen, but it definitely wasn’t what he found. He’d heard the unmistakable laughter of his husband and daughter when he’d gotten home from work, but that was nothing unusual. Gabe was the one who was home from work early enough each day to get her off the school bus, and the two of them generally spent the time before Sam got home from work involved in some activity, whether it be homework or an art project or cooking dinner. However, when Sam walked into the kitchen this time, he was greeted by an unexpected, albeit amusing, sight. Gabriel had apparently decided that it was time to teach their daughter how to make caramel apples, a fall favorite of his that he made every year. However, Sam knew from experience that making them with Gabe was quite an adventure, and Gabriel usually ended up eating as much caramel as he put on the apples.

“Daddy!” Grace exclaimed as he walked in, waving a caramel-coated hand at him eagerly.

“Hey, munchkin,” Sam greeted, giving her a kiss on the top of the head. “Hey, babe,” he added, giving his husband’s hair an affectionate ruffle before grabbing an empty glass from the cabinet and filling it with water.

“You’re just in time, Samsquatch,” Gabriel said, licking a glob of caramel off of his index finger. “We’re on the last batch.”

“And how many bags of caramel cubes have you gone through?” Sam asked with a knowing smile.

“Only two…” his husband said defensively. “And a half,” he added when Sam gave him a skeptical look.

“I thought so,” Sam said, chuckling.

“Hey, now,” Gabriel said. “It wasn’t just me; Grace here ate her fair share as well.”

Sam raised his eyebrows. “So what you’re saying is I am now going to have to deal not only with a sugar-high husband, but a sugar-high daughter as well?” Gabriel grinned charmingly, but before he could say anything, they were interrupted by Grace.

“All done!” she said, placing the last apple down on the wax paper-covered tray.

“Good job, honey,” Gabriel said, and she grinned proudly. “Now all we have to do is put them in the refrigerator to harden and then later tonight we can have one for dessert.”

“Yay!” she exclaimed happily. She hopped off her chair as Gabriel put the tray in the refrigerator and attempted to leave the kitchen, but Sam grabbed her before she could.

“Not so fast, kiddo,” he said. “Wash your hands first.” He picked her up and held her so she could reach the sink. When he turned them around, Gabriel was waiting with a dishtowel to dry her hands, which he did while placing small, quick kisses all over her face and hair as she giggled.

“That tickles, Papa,” she said between laughs. She was still laughing when Sam put her back down and she ran out of the kitchen, off to find something else to do.

“Teaching her the important things, I see,” Sam murmured after she left, pulling his husband into a comfortable embrace.

Gabriel buried his face in Sam’s chest, pressing a soft kiss there before responding. “Yep.”

Sam chuckled. “She’ll be very well-prepared for life,” he joked, nuzzling his face into Gabe’s silky hair.

Gabriel pulled back and tilted his head up to look at Sam. “You’re making fun of me,” he complained indignantly.

Sam couldn’t help but smile. “Am not,” he replied, somewhat untruthfully.

“Yeah, yeah,” Gabriel said, but Sam could tell Gabe knew he was joking. “Liar,” Gabe added, lifting himself up on his toes and bringing his lips to Sam’s. He placed his hands on either side of Sam’s face as they kissed, pulling him down to a more comfortable height, and Sam let out a soft sigh when Gabe’s thumb brushed over his cheek.

“You taste like sugar,” Sam stated when they parted.

“That’s ‘cause I’m sweet on you,” Gabriel said with a smirk, bringing his hands down to rest against Sam’s chest.

“Wow, ten years of marriage and your lines are just as terrible as they were when we first met,” Sam teased.

“Hey, you’re the one who married me,” Gabriel retorted with a shrug.

“That’s because you’re so cute,” Sam said with a wink.

“Fair enough,” Gabriel replied, nodding. “So are you,” he added easily before pulling Sam down for another kiss. Sam willingly obliged, sharing sweet kisses with his husband in the comfort of their kitchen until they were interrupted by an impatient six-year-old who wanted dinner early so she could have her dessert.

Sam didn’t mind, though, because caramel apple kisses tasted just as good as regular ones.


	2. Seasonal Shopping

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fandom: Parks and Rec  
> Pairing: Benslie  
> Word Count: 361  
> Tags: fluff, alternate universe (it could pretty much be either though), married Ben/Leslie

You’d think that after ten years of friendship followed by four and a half years of dating and five years of marriage, Ben would have been able to say no to his wife. And sure, he could if it was something very important, but for simple things like this, he was still a sucker for her relentless begging and frequent use of sexual favors to get her way. And the worst part was, he never even minded in the end.

It was this inability to say no that had gotten them into this situation: Leslie, in all of her holiday spirit, had insisted they needed new Halloween decorations (never mind the fact that fall-themed decorations took up five large boxes in their attic) and, in her reluctance to compromise, had pressed Ben up against a wall in Michael’s, where they were now in danger of getting into a heated make out session in the middle of the store.

“Leslie, we can’t-” Ben tried to argue (it was futile, but he had to try), though his words were cut off by the lips placed over his. He tried not to moan as Leslie licked her way into his mouth in the way that never failed to drive him crazy and pressed even closer against him. Her fingers were in his hair, massaging his scalp and pulling his head closer, and he was dangerously close to running out of oxygen–

“Fine!” he practically shouted, glancing around to make sure no one was around to hear his outburst. “One wreath, and that’s it.”

He tried to frown, but the beaming smile on Leslie’s face was too beautiful for him to resist. He pressed a small kiss to her lips and wrapped his arms loosely around her waist.

“You infuriate me,” he said, but there was no sting to his words. If anything, her grin broadened.

“I know.”

\---

Later, when they were curled up in bed together and slowly drifting off to sleep, Ben turned his head to gaze at the brand-new wreath, which was hanging from their bedroom door.

“It _is_ pretty,” he admitted.

Leslie smiled and gave him a long kiss. “I know.”


	3. “The leaves are changing!”

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fandom: Supernatural  
> Pairings: Destiel, Sabriel  
> Word Count: 1,061  
> Tags: fluff, alternate universe, married!au, parents, established relationship

“Daddy, the leaves are changing!”

Castiel glanced up from reading the morning paper as his five-year-old daughter ran into the kitchen and right into his husband Dean, who was at the stove making pancakes for breakfast.

“Whoa, kiddo. Be careful,” Dean said, picking her up and resting her easily on his hip. “The stove’s hot.”

“Sorry, Daddy,” she said contritely, but the mood only lasted for about five seconds before she was squirming in Dean’s arms, trying to see out the window.

Dean laughed, turning so that she could see better as he replied, “That’s okay, sweetie.”

“If you want, after breakfast we can go out and play in the leaves,” Cas mentioned from his seat, smiling when Mary’s eyes widened in hope.

“Really?” she asked eagerly, looking to Dean for confirmation.

“Sure, why not?” he said with a shrug, giving her a kiss on the forehead before gently placing her back on the ground and turning back to the stove to flip the pancakes.

“Can Abby and Henry play too?” Mary asked, now looking at Cas, who chuckled and ruffled her hair.

“Of course,” he said. “Although Henry is a little young to be running around.”

“He can’t even _walk_ yet,” Mary agreed with a nod.

“That’s right,” Cas affirmed. He was prevented from saying any more when his brother Gabriel, who was spending the weekend with them, entered the kitchen, rubbing his face sleepily.

“Morning, Gabe,” Dean said from his place at the stove. “Where’s my giant of a brother?”

“The moose is still in bed,” Gabriel replied, his voice still rough with sleep. “It’s amazing how well he manages to sleep through a baby crying.” Dean laughed loudly as Gabe grabbed a mug and filled it to the brim with coffee and creamer, dumping quite a few spoonfuls of sugar in as well. “I haven’t slept through the night in _months_ ,” Gabriel continued wearily.

“I’m glad those days are over,” Castiel agreed, sharing a knowing look with Dean.

“Yeah, can’t say I miss that,” Dean agreed, placing a plate of hot pancakes on the table next to the butter and syrup. Mary eagerly dug in and the adults quickly followed suit.

It wasn’t long before the warm smell enticed a small brunette out from the bedroom she was sharing with Mary and into the kitchen for breakfast. Abby slowly walked into the room, yawning widely as she plopped down in a chair, grabbed some food, and started eating immediately.

“Just like your father,” Cas joked, noting the resemblance between his brother and his niece, who were both hungrily scarfing down their pancakes like they hadn’t eaten in days. His comment earned him a laugh from Dean and a dirty face from Gabriel, which only made them laugh harder.

The pancakes were almost gone by the time Sam emerged from the spare bedroom, greeting the room with a mumbled “Good morning,” and bending to wrap his arms around Gabe from behind. “Morning, babe,” he said, giving Gabriel a kiss on the cheek.

“Well, well, look who’s awake,” Gabe joked, relaxing into Sam’s embrace. He reached a hand back to thread his fingers through Sam’s hair. They stayed like that for a long moment until Dean cleared his throat and gestured to the remaining pancakes on the table.

“Help yourself,” he said.

“Thanks,” Sam said, reaching across the table for a plate. He had just sat down when the sound of a baby crying came from the spare bedroom. He started to get up, but Gabriel quickly stopped him.

“Don’t worry, I’ll go get him,” he said, standing up. “Eat.”

\---

An hour later, once the dishes had been cleared and everyone was dressed, Mary ran outside to play, followed by everyone else, though at a slower pace. She took off eagerly into the yard and immediately threw herself into a pile of leaves under the large oak tree.

“Be careful!” Castiel called, but it fell on deaf ears as she ignored him, rolling around delightedly in the dry leaves. She was quickly joined by Abby, who jumped in right next to her and sent a flurry of red and yellow into the sky.

“I’m glad they’re so excited,” Cas mentioned to Sam, who was standing next to him, Henry cradled in his arms.

“They’re not the only ones,” Sam replied, pointing into the yard. “Look.”

Cas laughed as he saw Dean and Gabriel sneaking up on the girls, preparing to ambush them. The two dads quickly reached their daughters, who were paying no attention at all, and suddenly dove down, each grabbing a girl to tickle ruthlessly. The two girls shrieked happily, giggling and trying to escape, to no avail.

“I’m pretty sure we both married full-grown children,” Castiel joked as he and Sam watched the action. Abby was the first to escape the pile and went tearing through the yard in close pursuit by Dean.

“Yeah,” Sam agreed, taking a seat on the rocking chair sitting on the porch and rocking gently back and forth as Henry cooed happily, playing with Sam’s fingers. From their comfortable vantage point, they watched as Dean caught up to Abby, picking her up and twirling her around in circles as she laughed. Gabriel was now helping Mary gather all the leaves they could find into an increasingly large pile, and it didn’t take a genius to guess what they were planning to do. Sure enough, a few minutes later the leaves were all over the place as the two of them took matching flying leaps into the pile.

Eventually, Dean and Gabriel left the girls to their own devices and returned to their husbands on the porch. “You have a leaf in your hair,” Cas said to Dean with a grin, plucking the aforementioned leaf out and letting it fall to the ground.

“Thanks,” Dean said, giving him a quick kiss and plopping down beside him on the seat. He wrapped an arm around Cas’ back and leaned up against him contentedly. Beside them, Gabriel had sat down on the ground with Henry at Sam’s feet and was finding leaves and acorns and other things for him to play with.

“This is nice,” Dean said, head resting comfortably on Cas’ shoulder. In the yard, Mary and Abby were collecting sticks and acorns for whatever they were planning next.

“Yeah,” Castiel agreed. “It is.”


	4. “Pumpkin spice…what?!”

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fandom: Supernatural  
> Pairing: Sabriel  
> Word Count: 326  
> Tags: fluff, alternate universe, established relationship

“You bought pumpkin spice… what?!” Sam asked, staring into the grocery bag.

“Pumpkin Spice Oreos!” Gabriel exclaimed, sounding way more excited about them than a grown man should be, in Sam’s opinion.

Sam raised his eyebrows incredulously. He opened his mouth then closed it again without saying anything as Gabriel continued unpacking the rest of the groceries nonchalantly.

“Pumpkin Spice Oreos…” he said finally, just to confirm. Gabriel turned to look at him as he continued, “To go with the pumpkin spice yogurt, the pumpkin spice cupcakes, and the pumpkin spice ice cream.”

Gabriel raised his eyebrows and tilted his head as if to say, _“So?”_

Sam sighed and gave him a look. “Don’t you think it’s a little… I don’t know, excessive?”

Gabriel walked a few steps forward to stand in front of his boyfriend, staring seriously into Sam’s eyes, then grinned and said, “Nope!”

Sam rolled his eyes. “Babe, you are _obsessed_. And if you eat all that you’re gonna get diabetes.”

“Am not,” Gabriel said, putting the last of the groceries into the refrigerator. “And don’t think I didn’t notice you sneaking one of those cupcakes last night. Admit it – you like them.”

“I’m not admitting anything,” Sam replied defensively, but Gabriel just gave him a knowing smirk. “All right, _fine_.” Sam surrendered. “I ate _one_ cupcake and it wasn’t terrible. Happy?”

“Very,” Gabriel said, standing on his tiptoes to press a quick kiss to Sam’s lips. “Now let’s go enjoy some of that pumpkin spice ice cream while we watch a movie.” He grabbed the orange and brown carton out of the freezer and was halfway to the living room before Sam realized what he was doing.

“You do realize it’s like three o’clock in the afternoon, right?” he shouted uselessly even as he grabbed two spoons and followed his boyfriend to the living room. _Oh, well_ , he thought as he half shrugged. It wasn’t like they had anything better to do.


	5. Autumn Breeze

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fandom: Supernatural  
> Pairing: Destiel  
> Word Count: 1,226  
> Tags: fluff, established relationship, canon!verse

As he walked out of the bunker, Dean could feel the breeze rushing by, a gentle caress of cool air against his face. He watched as it picked up a crisp yellow leaf from the ground, twirled it gracefully through the air, and deposited it about a yard away. The leaf sat unmoving for a few seconds until another rush of wind picked it up and carried it across the leaf-littered grass to a cluttered patch among the other fallen leaves. Dean took the time to pause and take in his surroundings, something that he’d only recently started doing after a life of rushing and fighting and first impressions.

He should be terrified about what he was about to do. It went against every single thing that he’d learned in the first forty-some years of his life, every single thing that he’d told himself he couldn’t do, couldn’t ever have. And yet… all he could feel was peace. Contentment. Happiness, even, which was a feeling he had only recently become accustomed to. He also felt a nerve of excitement, but in a good way. In a looking-forward-to-the-future way, another thing he’d never felt before. It had been quite unnerving at first, but in the past few years, he had slowly begun to accept the fact that sometimes things _did_ go right, that even if there was no happy ever after there could still be simply happy. He’d also begun to accept the love he received in his life, which was maybe the most important of everything.

When Dean finally tore himself out of his thoughts and walked around the side of the bunker, the first thing he noticed was Cas: his wind-ruffled dark hair, those startlingly blue eyes, that persistently-stubbled jaw, and, most importantly, the radiant smile gracing his lips, a smile that he reserved specifically for Dean. Even among the vibrant colors surrounding them, Castiel stood out, somehow dimming the brightness of the red and gold behind him. For a long moment he was all that Dean could see; everything else just faded from his vision as he stared at his favorite angel.

A gently cleared throat brought Dean out of his thoughts and he shook his head briefly before glancing away from Cas. Sam was standing right next to Cas, dressed in a recently-ironed blue button-down that complemented Dean’s and Cas’ forest green and navy ones well. He was smiling warmly at the two men and gestured for Dean to walk closer.

Dean did just that, only stopping when he was beside Cas and reaching down to grip both of Cas’ hands in his own.

“Hello, Dean,” Cas murmured gently, eyes softening when he saw Dean’s loving smile.

“Heya, Cas,” Dean responded softly. His right thumb gently stroked the side of Cas’ hand and his eyes followed the simple action that was now a reflex for a moment before seeking Cas’ own eyes again.

“You guys ready?” Sam asked, waiting for the two men to nod. “We are here today,” Sam started, “to wed Dean, a hunter and a human, and Castiel, a millennia-old celestial being…”

Dean couldn’t help but smile as Sam spoke; the situation sounded completely crazy, even for him, and even the traditional part of the speech couldn’t hide just how non-traditional this was. It wasn’t even a real wedding, legally at least, though to the three of them, it was as real as they needed.

Before long, Sam finished talking and gestured to Dean to say his vows. Dean nodded and caught Castiel’s eye. “So, uh, this is a strange wedding,” he started. “Bit untraditional and outside of the law, what with me and Sam bein’ legally dead, and you not legally existing. But, uh, it’s real to me. It’s… it’s all I need, all I want. _I_ know that we’re married, and you know that too, and so does Sam. And that’s all that matters. I don’t need anything else,” he finished softly. “I just need you.”

Castiel’s smile was glowing and he squeezed Dean’s hands before speaking. “I have been… in existence for a very long time,” he started. “I’ve seen stars being created and destroyed, I have observed mountains collide and valleys become oceans. I’ve seen life evolve, from the tiniest of single-celled organisms to the diversity and complexity we see today. I have watched humans succeed and humans fail, and have learned more about them than perhaps any other angel.” Cas paused for a moment before continuing.

“All of this I have seen, and yet… the most glorious, the most beautiful, is standing right in front of me. I found him in Hell many years ago. Little did I know that pulling him out would change me so fundamentally, but it did. You, Dean Winchester, have taught me the greatest things of humanity. Hope, strength, support, trust, even humor–” Dean chuckled at that one “–but most importantly, love. Love for family, for friends, and for a partner. You are my partner, my husband, and for that, I could not be more grateful.”

Dean’s throat felt tight when he swallowed and he gave Castiel a watery smile. Silently, he took one of the rings in Sam’s hand and slid it onto Cas’ finger. Castiel picked up the other and gently lifted Dean’s hand to slide the ring on, not breaking eye contact the entire time.

Sam was still wiping tears from his eyes, but smiled knowingly at them. “I think there’s only one thing to say after those vows,” he said. “You may now kiss the groom.”

Dean didn’t need any further prodding in order to pull Castiel close to him for a tender kiss, his left hand releasing Cas’ in order to grab his hip and tug him even closer.

“I love you,” he murmured into Cas’ mouth, the words tumbling out more easily than they ever had before.

“I love you too, Dean,” Cas replied, hand gripping Dean’s bicep in the exact spot where Dean used to have a branded handprint. “And I need you,” he added.

That was the moment when Dean felt a tear slip down his cheek, remembering all the times he’d told Cas that, unable to say what he really meant. It had never mattered; Cas always understood, and knew that for Dean, the two phrases were synonymous.

When they pulled apart, Cas’ eyes were shining brightly as his gaze slid over Dean, taking everything in. Dean did the same, not quite able to believe that this was now his _husband_ , until they were interrupted by a sniffle from Sam. His eyes were still teary as he pulled Dean into a tight hug, squeezing way too tightly and leaving Dean to catch his breath as Cas received the same treatment.

A few minutes later, Sam left the two other men in peace, giving them space to be together. Dean sat down on an old log, tugging Castiel down beside him and pulling the angel tight against his body. The breeze had picked up slightly, causing Dean to shiver until Cas let out a soft murmur and wrapped perpetually warm arms around him.

Dean felt the cool silver band against his arm and lifted a hand to run a finger over it. “It’s official,” he said with a grin, laying his head on Cas’ shoulder. “Dean and Castiel Winchester.”


	6. Overcast Morning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fandom: Parks and Rec  
> Pairing: Benslie  
> Word Count: 406  
> Tags: fluff, established relationship

Leslie was not one to take a day off from working. In fact, she couldn’t even remember the last time she took a vacation. But when she woke up one cold, overcast October morning curled up in the arms of her still-sleeping boyfriend, she suddenly saw the appeal of a quiet day at home.

The sun had already risen, though it was difficult to tell because of the gray clouds covering the sky, and she saw the stiff branches of the bare trees out the window shiver in the wind. It was actually kind of beautiful and surprisingly relaxing, and as she watched, she snuggled even closer to Ben, tucking her head against his chest under his chin. Silently, she continued watching the peaceful scene out the window, one hand gently rubbing little circles into Ben’s chest through his shirt.

Eventually, Ben awoke as well and smiled down at her when he opened his eyes.

“Morning,” he said as he ran his fingers through her hair.

“Hey,” she responded.

“You haven’t gotten up yet?” he asked, raising his eyebrows. It wasn’t often that she was still in bed when he woke up, especially without having a cup of coffee beside her or paperwork in her hands.

“No, I’ve just been looking out the window,” she replied.

“Are you sure you’re feeling okay?” Ben said, chuckling good-naturedly.

She poked him in the chest, but his laughing only got harder. “Of course I’m feeling okay!” she said loudly. “I just wanted to watch outside. It’s very relaxing. Besides, what’s wrong with wanting to snuggle with my adorable, sleeping boyfriend?”

“Absolutely nothing,” Ben asserted, leaning down to kiss her hair.

She grunted triumphantly and tilted her head up to place her lips on his. The kiss started out innocently enough, but Leslie quickly deepened it, licking her way into Ben’s mouth in the way she knew drove him crazy, wanting to punish him slightly for his previous comment. Not that this was punishment at all, really, but still. He groaned as she pressed him down on the mattress, shifting so she was straddling his hips, tongue exploring his mouth until they were both out of breath.

He pulled back slightly, smiling at her cheekily, and said, “Wanna stay in bed a little longer?” Her only response was to recapture his lips with hers, eliciting another groan from Ben, and she decided maybe she should stay in bed more often.


	7. Bobbing for Apples

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fandom: Supernatural  
> Pairing: Destiel  
> Word Count: 790  
> Tags: fluff, alternate universe, first kiss, high school au, friends to lovers

“This doesn’t seem very sanitary, Dean,” Castiel said, peering suspiciously into the tub. No less than ten reddish apples bobbed around in the water, waiting to be picked up by the next party goer who wanted to stick their head in and try to grab one. Castiel turned his head in time to see Dean roll his eyes.

“Geez, Cas, it’s not gonna kill you!” he groaned.

Castiel stared at him determinedly. “You don’t know that.”

Dean huffed and crossed his arms. “It won’t kill you. I promise. Now stick your head in and grab one.”

Castiel crossed his arms as well and narrowed his eyes at Dean. “Only if you do it too.” Castiel could tell Dean was holding back laughter at Cas’ reluctance, but he couldn’t bring himself to care.

“Fine,” Dean said, starting to bend down.

“Wait!” Castiel interrupted and Dean paused, quirking his eyebrow in confusion. “I’ll go first,” Castiel said.

Dean held up his hands in surrender then gestured to the wooden tub. “All yours,” he said. Castiel took a deep breath and then bent down over the tub. “Hands behind your back,” Dean reminded him, and Castiel huffed but did as he was told. He eyed the apples warily before taking a deep breath and plunging his face into the tub.

The water was cold and made his face feel numb as he tried to bite the apple he’d been aiming for. Unfortunately, the apple just slid away from him every time he tried to get his teeth into it. He was aware of Dean counting behind him and pulled his head out for a quick breath before dipping it back in. This time, he pushed the apple up against the side of the tub and attempted to grab it from there, not caring that his face and hair were quickly getting drenched in cold water. Surprisingly, it worked, and Castiel pulled his head back out, apple in mouth and eyes open wide.

“There,” he said to Dean, but with his mouth full, it came out more like a grunt.

Dean scoffed. “Amateur,” he teased, and Castiel released the apple into his hand so that he could stick his tongue out. It wasn’t the most mature response, but he didn’t really care at that point.

“Keep count,” Dean said before kneeling down by the tub, hands clasped neatly behind him. He dunked his head in and Castiel started counting. He hadn’t even reached ten before Dean’s head was back out, apple in mouth and grinning as best he could. “Su-guh!” he crowed, then rolled his eyes and spit the apple out before repeating himself. “Suck it!”

“How did you do that?” Castiel asked, trying not to sound impressed.

Dean winked. “Easy. Just shove your whole face in and press the apple to the bottom so it’s easier to grab. Works great as long as you can hold your breath.” It was then that Castiel realized Dean’s entire head was soaked.

“I see,” he said slowly. Dean’s hair was sticking up wildly and Castiel would be lying if he said it wasn’t absolutely adorable. He found himself staring, only breaking out of it when he realized that Dean had grabbed his apple.

“Winner takes all,” he said, smirking, as Castiel glared. Dean stuck the apple in his mouth and took a bite. “Mm, delicious,” he mumbled.

“Assbutt,” Castiel muttered irritably. Dean let out another satisfied noise, this time closer to a moan, as he stuffed the apple in his mouth to take another bite.

That was it – enough was enough. “Nice try,” Castiel growled, moving closer to Dean. Before Dean even knew what happening, Castiel’s mouth was on the other side of his apple as he took a bite. Dean’s eyes widened in surprise and Castiel was lucky he didn’t choke from laughter as he tried not to gag.

“Problem, Dean?” Castiel murmured around the apple so that only Dean could hear him.

They stared at each other for a long moment before Dean finally broke away, pulling the apple out of both of their mouths and replacing it with his lips.

Castiel’s eyes widened in surprise, but soon he was kissing Dean back, wrapping his arms enthusiastically around Dean’s neck as Dean’s hands cupped his face. It was over before Castiel quite realized what they were doing and they were soon standing with their arms still wrapped around each other, faces only inches apart, slightly out of breath.

“Was – was that okay?” Dean asked hesitantly, suddenly looking afraid that Castiel would reject him.

Castiel smiled slowly. “Yes. Yes, it was,” he affirmed as he pulled Dean’s lips back to his. He kissed his best friend hungrily and their apples fell to the ground, forgotten.


	8. Pumpkin Patch Visit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fandom: Supernatural  
> Pairing: Destiel  
> Word Count: 533  
> Tags: fluff, alternate universe, established relationship, married!au, parents

“Whoa…” Dean grinned as his daughter let out an awestruck sound at the sight in front of them. “There’s so _many_ ,” she continued, and Dean chuckled.

“Guess we’d better get started lookin’ then,” he said, glancing up at her. She was perched on his shoulders, which gave her a great vantage point so that she could easily survey the entire field.

“We have to pick the perfect pumpkin, Daddy,” she stated, turning her head back and forth as she assessed the pumpkin patch where they were currently standing.

“We’ll find it, sweetheart,” Dean assured her confidently. “And then we’ll take it home and make the most kickass jack o’ lantern you’ve ever seen!”

“Language, Dean,” came the idle warning from the man next to him. 

Dean rolled his eyes at his husband, not that Castiel was paying any attention. He too was scrutinizing the rows upon rows of pumpkins laid out in front of them. Dean held back a laugh at the sight; Cas’ facial expression made him look like they were making the single most important decision of their lives.

“What kind of pumpkin are you looking for?” Dean asked his daughter, wandering closer to the first row.

“Something weird-looking,” she said immediately. “Unique.”

Dean chuckled. “She’s your daughter, babe,” he teased.

“Very funny, Dean,” Castiel said drily. “How about this one, Mary?” he asked, pointing to a large, lopsided pumpkin on the end.

Mary shook her head. “Not weird enough.”

Dean raised his eyebrows at Cas, knowing that Mary couldn’t see them, and Cas just shrugged in return. “Okay then, on to the next row,” he said, leading them farther into the pumpkin patch. Slowly, they made their way through the lines of pumpkins, Mary rejecting every one that Dean and Cas pointed out and never picking one out herself.

“Mary, sweetie, you’re going to have to pick one at some point,” Castiel said gently as they reached the third-to-last row.

“I _know_ ,” she said, swinging her legs in frustration.

“Whoa, easy,” Dean said, grabbing her ankles and holding them in place. “No kicking.”

“Sorry, Daddy,” she mumbled. Suddenly, her voice brightened. “Over there!” she shouted excitedly as she gestured to a pumpkin sitting near the end of the next row.

They hurried over to look at the one Mary had pointed out. It was weird-looking all right – lopsided and warty with patchy coloring. Dean figured that was why it was still there; it was a decent pumpkin size-wise, definitely big enough for the intricate carvings he saw in magazines.

“You sure you want that one?” Dean asked when they reached it.

“I’m sure, Daddy!” she exclaimed. “That’s the one!”

Dean looked to Cas, who simply shrugged. “Well, okay, then,” Dean said. He bent over so that she could climb off of his shoulders and examine the pumpkin up close.

“Let’s get pickin’,” Dean said, breaking into a grin.

\---

A week later, when trick-or-treaters were excitedly ringing the doorbell and waiting for candy, many of them pointed out the carved pumpkin, which now sported a detailed outline of a witch riding her broom. And every time he told the people that it was his daughter’s doing, Dean couldn’t have felt prouder.


	9. Rainy Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fandom: Supernatural  
> Pairing: Destiel  
> Word Count: 1,207  
> Tags: fluff, alternate universe, established relationship, married!au, parents

Castiel loved rainy days. They were the perfect excuse to take a day off and spend it relaxing, preferably with a hot cup of tea and a good book, and maybe a comfy chair and crackling fireplace as well. Or with his yarn and knitting needles, or playing family board games, or snuggling on the sofa with his husband and kids, or…

“You look happy.” The murmured statement came from his still half-asleep husband, who was blinking at Cas as he slowly woke up and took in his surroundings.

“I love rainy days,” Cas confessed, though Dean knew that already.

Dean rubbed his eyes and glanced out the bedroom window, which was streaked with rivulets of water slipping down the glass. “Mmm,” he mumbled, voice still thick with sleep. “We can… relax.” He punctuated the last word with a slow, languid kiss to Castiel’s lips, and Cas let out a sigh, eyes fluttering shut as he enjoyed the warmth and comfort that came from the kiss. Dean’s fingers curled into his hair, mussing it up even more than it was, and Cas’ own fingers glided down the firm muscles of Dean’s back… just as the door creaked open.

“Daddy! Papa!”

Cas winced at the sudden interruption, giving Dean one last innocent kiss before whispering, “Or not.” Dean huffed out a quiet laugh before they were suddenly joined on the bed by two kids: one hopping up energetically and the other trailing behind more slowly, still mostly asleep.

“Daddy, can you make us pancakes?” Their daughter’s eyes were wide and hopeful as she bounced up and down slightly in excitement.

Cas knew Dean could never resist those eyes and wasn’t surprised when he pulled her into his lap for a hug. “Of course, sweetheart,” he said, dropping a kiss to the top of her head.

Meanwhile, their son crawled onto Cas’ lap and buried his head in the soft gray fabric of Cas’ t-shirt. Castiel gathered him closer in his arms and said softly, “Bobby, do you want pancakes?” The little boy nodded against Cas’ chest and curled into a ball as Cas rubbed a soothing hand over his back.

Cas guessed that it wasn’t even a minute later when Mary impatiently asked, “Are we gonna make them now?”

Dean laughed, setting her down as he climbed out of bed. “How about this, honey? You go downstairs and pull out the ingredients and I’ll be down as soon as I get dressed.” She was apparently satisfied with his answer and bounded off to the kitchen eagerly as Dean searched the closet for clothes.

When they were both dressed, Cas picked Bobby up again and settled him against his hip as he carefully walked down the stairs. Before they got to the kitchen, Bobby picked out a picture book from the stack on the bookshelf, which Cas read to him at the table as Dean and Mary made pancakes and bacon.

Once breakfast was finished and cleaned up and the kids were dressed, Cas hoped that they could entertain themselves for the day and give him a chance to finish the mystery novel he’d been reading. Unfortunately, as happened frequently, the kids had other plans.

Midmorning, they settled themselves in front of the TV to watch a show about life in the deep ocean. When it finished an hour later, Dean reminded them that their allotted hour of TV per day was up, so they turned it off and found something else to do. That something else turned out to be staging a play in the living room, complete with assorted costumes, confusing dialogue, and a part for an evil warlock that required Cas’ participation. Dean saw Castiel’s rueful expression and shrugged with a poorly-hidden grin as he continued his tea party with Mary’s favorite unicorn, squirrel, and moose stuffed animals.

The play concluded at lunchtime, when the kids made (or rather, helped make) peanut butter and jelly sandwiches to eat with their apple slices and crackers. When that mess was cleaned up (how a four-year-old could get that much peanut butter in his hair remained a mystery to Cas), the kids retreated to Mary’s bedroom to play and Dean to the garage, where he wanted to tinker with the Impala.

When the living room was quiet, Castiel let out a sigh then returned to the kitchen to boil some water. He made himself a cup of chai tea, which he sipped from his favorite armchair by the living room window as he read. Half an hour later, his mug was empty and he’d just about reached the climax of the book when he heard a loud thump from upstairs, followed by an indignant shriek.

He wanted to ignore it, but that proved impossible when a tiny body rushed down the stairs and into his lap, crying and rubbing his eyes roughly. “What’s the matter, baby, hmm?” Cas asked gently, prying the boy’s hands away from his face and kissing each fist softly.

“Mary w-won’t let me play with her s-stuffed animals!” he whimpered, eyes red and face tear-streaked. “She – she said I had to play with my own, but I wanna play with hers.”

Cas hugged his son to his chest. “Shh, don’t cry,” he said gently. “Did you ask nicely?” Bobby nodded and Cas patted his head. “Well, Mary has the right to say no, but she should have been nicer about it,” Cas said. “I’m sure if we go upstairs she’ll apologize.”

Thankfully, she did apologize when they talked to her, which was good considering the last thing Cas wanted was to be stuck inside with two grumpy children for the day. Bobby forgave her easily and decided to bring a coloring book and some crayons downstairs.

Cas settled back into the chair and was just about to pick up his book again when he heard small footsteps pad into the room. “Papa?” Mary asked, holding out two books in her hand. “Will you read to me?”

Castiel nodded and she climbed into his lap. He opened up the first book – _Crickwing_ – and began to read. He smiled as she nuzzled into his chest while he read, eyes starting to droop closed. When he finished the second book, she was almost asleep, but perked back up a little when Bobby appeared with his own requests. Cas started _Where The Wild Things Are_ , both kids listening quietly and intently. Halfway through _Rainbow Fish_ , he realized that Mary had finally fallen asleep and as he turned the last page, he saw that Bobby’s eyes were shut as well.

He was still sitting there quietly with two sleeping children in his lap when Dean came back in. Cas gave him a half-smile when Dean chuckled at the sight. “I take it you had an eventful afternoon,” he said softly, laughing harder at Cas’ affectionate eye roll.

“I read exactly fifty-seven pages,” he said ruefully, glancing out the window at the still-falling rain.

Dean walked up beside him, pressing a kiss to his forehead before affectionately ruffling Mary’s hair. “Next time,” he promised, fingers now carding gently through Cas’ dark hair.

“Next time,” Cas agreed, though he didn’t really mind. He knew he wouldn’t trade his family for the world.


	10. Scarecrow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fandom: Supernatural  
> Pairing: Destiel  
> Word Count: 885  
> Tags: fluff, canon!verse, established relationship, bunker!fic

If there was one thing that Dean prided himself on, it was how hard he was to scare. Years of hunting every kind of ghost, monster, and demon had hardened him to the point where a bomb could likely go off behind him without him flinching. By this point in his life, he was pretty confident in his ability to avoid being startled – or at least, he _had_ been until he turned the corner of the bunker in search of his boyfriend and instead found himself face-to-face with an evil-looking scarecrow.

“Shit!” he exclaimed, loudly enough to startle a flock of crows that were hanging out on the outskirts of the tree line. He jumped back in fright, taking a few deep breaths as he attempted to get his heartrate under control again. It had been years but the memories were still there of a horrible, ugly scarecrow and a town of pagan worshippers.

When his breathing finally returned to normal, Dean suddenly registered the sound of loud laughter coming from the other side of the garden he was standing in front of. On the other side, standing next to a vine of pumpkins, were Castiel and Sam, the latter of whom could barely stay on his feet because he was laughing so hard.

“Dude, are you _afraid_ of the scarecrow?”

Dean flushed at the remark, glaring at his brother and standing up straighter. “No!” he retorted, glaring harder when Sam glanced at him and let out another snicker. “I’m _not_ , asshat. Just didn’t expect to see it there when I turned the corner.”

Sam didn’t look like he believed Dean and nudged Castiel in the ribs as he pointed at Dean. “Y’hear that Cas?” he giggled. “Your boyfriend’s afraid of a _scarecrow_.” He let out another laugh, though Castiel still just looked concerned and a bit confused. “Guess it works on humans, too, huh?” Sam chortled.

Dean spun on his heel, embarrassment fueling his anger as he stormed away. “Yeah, well, you weren’t almost _murdered_ by one,” he muttered at his feet as he slammed the door to the bunker behind him. He made his way down the stairs and through the hallways before grabbing his laptop and collapsing onto his bed, intent on distracting himself by searching for a new case.

By eight o’clock he had three newspaper articles bookmarked as potential cases and had sent a quick email to Jody to see how she and the girls were doing. He had not emerged from his room for dinner, instead ignoring his stomach’s protests and guzzling a beer from the emergency stash he kept in his room.

Dean had just set the computer down on his desk and stripped down to his t-shirt and boxers when he heard a quiet knock on the door.

“Come in,” he sighed, knowing that the raps were way too gentle to be Sam.

Sure enough, the door creaked open and Castiel stepped into the room with a plate of food, which he set on Dean’s bedside table after closing the door behind himself.

“You didn’t come to dinner,” Castiel remarked, sitting next to Dean on their bed and taking Dean’s hands into both of his own.

“Wasn’t hungry,” Dean lied, but his stomach gave him away with a sudden growl, though thankfully Castiel was gracious enough not to mention it.

“I made you a ham and cheese sandwich, a small amount of mayonnaise and a lot of mustard, the way you like it,” Castiel said.

“Thanks,” Dean said softly.

“I didn’t know,” Castiel said after a moment. To anyone else his statement would have appeared to be a non sequitur, but they both knew exactly what he was referring to.

Dean shrugged and scowled. “Caught me by surprise,” he said defensively. “And y’know… I was almost murdered by a scarecrow once, so…” He shrugged again.

Castiel said nothing for a minute, instead choosing to rest his chin on Dean’s shoulder. “You know,” he said finally. “I might have accidentally redecorated Sam’s room this afternoon. I found a sale on clown patterns.”

Dean turned his head quickly and saw the corner of Castiel’s lips lift. “You didn’t,” Dean said, lips twitching until he was smiling as well.

“Just be prepared to find Sam asleep in the library tomorrow morning,” Castiel replied with a smirk that would have been imperceptible to anyone who didn’t know Castiel so well.

Dean was grinning now. “I love you so much,” he said, shaking his head in amusement. “My favorite angel.”

Castiel smiled as he accepted a grateful kiss from Dean, who lifted a hand to cradle his jaw gently.

“I love you too, Dean,” Castiel murmured. “Now eat,” he added, standing and loosening his tie. He carefully undressed as Dean hungrily scarfed down the sandwich and the glass of milk that Castiel had placed on the table and climbed into bed just as Dean swallowed the last bite. Dean hurried to the bathroom to brush his teeth before returning to their bed and slipping in beside Castiel.

He happily snuggled into the angel’s arms, curling up into the familiar warmth. _You’re the best, Cas_ , he thought as he yawned, the quiet but amused huff from the angel’s mouth telling Dean that the prayer had been heard before he drifted off to sleep.


	11. Haunted Hayride/Haunted House

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fandom: Supernatural  
> Pairings: Sabriel, Destiel  
> Word Count: 1,157  
> Tags: fluff, high school au, first meeting, first kiss

Castiel poked his fingers into either side of Dean’s waist, laughing when it made his boyfriend startle.

“You seem jumpy, Dean,” he teased, wrapping his arms around Dean from behind and resting his chin on Dean's shoulder.

Dean retaliated by reaching back to poke Cas’ sides, which made him jerk backwards and away from Dean.

“Hey, Cas, you seem jumpy too,” Dean retorted with a smug grin, turning around and reaching out to cover Cas’ hands – which were rubbing his sides where Dean had poked him – with his own. He intertwined their fingers and pulled Cas closer, meeting his lips in a soft, drawn out kiss.

“The line moved, Dean,” Sam finally interrupted, rolling his eyes and shoving both his brother and Cas forward. “And could you please stop making out every five seconds?”

He was met with a smirk from Dean. “Relax, Sammy,” he said. “And besides, how can I resist when my boyfriend is so fucking gorgeous?” He pulled Castiel in for _another_ long kiss and Sam groaned quietly.

He _knew_ it would be a bad idea to join Dean and Cas on their sort-of date, but he’d really wanted to see the brand new haunted house in their town, so when they offered (after some urging from their mom, Sam guessed) to bring him with them, Sam had said yes. Now though, after barely even half an hour with them, he was starting to regret that decision.

“Do you guys make out like this in front of Benny?” Sam complained. Benny Lafitte, who shared a dorm with Dean and Cas at the University of Kansas, deserved a gold medal, Sam thought, if this is what he had to put up with from the two boys, who had been best friends in high school and started dating around Christmas of their freshman year of college.

Dean shrugged and Cas looked like he was holding back a smile. “Sometimes.”

“Ugh,” Sam groaned, turning away from them and glancing around at the others in line for the house. Most of them appeared to be in high school or college, though there were a few older ones and what looked like a group of middle schoolers near the front of the line.

One boy a few people in front of him caught Sam’s eye. He was a lot shorter than Sam, with soft-looking golden hair and a bright smile as he laughed at whatever his friend was saying. Inexplicably, Sam found himself wishing the boy was talking to _him_ , laughing at _his_ jokes. He watched until the line moved and the boy and his friend disappeared inside, then shook his head. They were nearly to the front anyway.

\---

In retrospect, Sam shouldn’t have been surprised. The whole point of haunted houses was to scare people, and splitting them up would definitely do the trick. He figured it was done on purpose, separating groups and leading them to the exit on two different paths. At least, that’s what he was hoping as he made his way down a dark hallway lit only by surprisingly realistic-looking electric candles perched on the walls.

He was making good time when all of a sudden he heard a door slam close behind him. He jumped and looked backwards, which was why he didn’t see the boy in front of him until they collided.

“Oof!” he grunted, hearing a thud as the boy landed on the floor. “Shit, sorry,” he said, offering a hand to pull the guy up. His eyes widened when he realized that it was the same guy he’d been staring at earlier.

“Hey, man, are you okay?” Sam asked once the guy was on his feet again.

“Aside from being separated from Balth and stuck in this damn haunted house, then yeah, just peachy,” the boy said sarcastically. He gently pulled his hand from Sam’s but gave him a small smile. “You got separated too?” he said, nodding at Sam.

“Yeah,” Sam said, starting down the hallway and gesturing for the guy to come with him. “It’s not a big deal though,” he said with a shrug. “I was with my brother and his boyfriend. Now that I’m gone they’re probably making out in front of a creepy painting. Not that me being there stopped them before,” he added.

“If you wanna make it even, you can make out with me in front of a creepy painting,” the guy offered.

Sam stopped and stared, and the boy blushed.

“Sorry, I’m awkward when I'm nervous,” he apologized.

“It's okay,” Sam replied, giving him a small smile. “I, uh… wouldn’t mind taking you up on that offer sometime.” He reached out his hand hopefully, smile growing when the other boy took it. “I'm Sam,” he added.

“Gabriel,” the guy replied. “But you can call me Gabe if you want.”

“Okay.”

\---

The house was more well-thought out than Sam expected. Instead of a typical windy, howling soundtrack, the place was eerily quiet aside from intermittent bodiless whispers and unexpected door creaks and slams. It was timed so that the patrons had a very low likelihood of running into each other (Sam wondered how he managed to catch up to Gabe) and the portraits on the wall had been painted with some sort of eye trick that made it look like the people were staring directly at passersby from anywhere in the hallway. The whole house was a mind game, really, the overall effect being increased anticipation that led to getting startled by every little sound.

They’d been walking through the house for about fifteen minutes when Sam noticed that Gabe’s teeth were chattering.

“You okay?” he asked, slowing and peering closely at the other boy.

Gabriel shook his head. “Is it just me or is it getting colder in here?”

“It is a little cold,” Sam agreed, noticing that Gabriel had now started shivering.

Sam let go of Gabe’s hand and started to shrug off his flannel shirt, offering it to the other boy once he pulled it off.

Gabriel shook his head quickly. “No, don’t worry–”

“It’s fine,” Sam said, shaking the shirt gently. “Take it.”

Gabriel hesitated for a few more seconds before finally reaching out to take the offered shirt. “Thanks,” he said gratefully.

Sam smiled. “No problem.”

\---

By the time they reached the exit, Sam was more than a little freaked out and Gabriel was tightly clutching his hand, which made Dean, Cas, and Gabriel’s friend Balthazar burst out into laughter when the two emerged into the cool night air.

“What took you so long, Sammy?” Dean teased as Sam’s finally heartrate slowed and he recovered.

Sam turned to Gabriel, raising his eyebrows in a silent request. Gabriel nodded minutely and Sam didn’t waste any time pulling the boy closer and placing a long, slow kiss on his lips. As he turned back to the others, who were all wide-eyed in surprise, he shrugged nonchalantly.

“We were busy.”


	12. Horror Movie Marathon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fandom: Supernatural  
> Pairings: Sabriel, Destiel  
> Word Count: 1,230  
> Tags: fluff, alternate universe, friends to lovers, getting together, high school au

“I’m bored.” Fourteen-year-old Gabriel Novak flopped down backwards on the bed and pouted. His best friend, Sam Winchester, sat down next to him.

“Not my fault it’s storming,” Sam said.

“Didn’t say it was,” Gabriel replied. He huffed, staring at the ceiling, and even Sam had to admit he was bored as well. “Stupid damn party,” Gabriel muttered. “Stupid damn storm.” He paused. “Who the hell even plans an outdoor party at the end of October? That’s just a dumb idea.”

Sam shrugged. Gabriel was kind of right. The two of them had been planning to go to a bonfire at their friend Ash’s house, but with all the rain they were getting, it had been canceled.

Gabriel scowled at the ceiling for another few minutes before his eyes suddenly lit up dangerously. “I wonder what our brothers are doing,” he mused. He hopped off the bed and was out the bedroom door before Sam realized what was going on.

“Gabe, wait!” he called as he raced down the stairs, nearly colliding with Gabe’s brother, and Sam’s brother’s boyfriend, Cas, who was holding a large bowl of hot popcorn in his hands.

“Sorry, Cas,” he apologized, following the older boy into the living room.

“It’s all right, Sam,” Cas said, giving him a friendly smile.

They were interrupted by Gabriel. “There you are, Sammoose!” he called from by the bookcase. “They’re watching a horror movie and said we could watch with them.”

Sam’s brother Dean looked like he wanted to argue, but before he could, Cas set the bowl of popcorn on the coffee table and settled down between Dean’s legs. Sam chuckled internally at how quickly Dean relaxed as Cas gave him a quick kiss and made himself comfortable. Castiel could calm Dean down just as quickly as he could rile Dean up, which Sam found hilarious.

“Okay,” Dean acquiesced, wrapping his arms tightly around Cas’ middle. “You can watch, but no nightmares, you got it? I ain’t havin’ dad mad at me ‘cause I let you watch a scary movie and then you couldn’t sleep.”

“We’re _fourteen_ ,” Gabriel said, rolling his eyes, and Sam chimed in his agreement.

“Exactly,” Dean replied, turning on the TV and DVD player as Gabriel picked a movie. He stuck it in and Dean laughed when the menu screen popped up. “You wanna watch _The Shining_? Dad’s gonna fucking kill me if he finds out.”

“He won’t,” Sam said confidently, determined to prove himself to their older brothers. He knew Gabe felt the same way and would refuse to turn down the challenge.

Dean rolled his eyes but pressed play as Sam joined Gabriel on the other sofa, where he was propped up against a large pillow with a heavy blanket over his stomach and legs. Sam grabbed his own pillow and settled down beside Gabe, pulling the blanket over himself as well. They sat quietly as the movie started, watching the car drive up the mountain highway to the hotel.

Halfway through the movie, Sam thought that this might have been a mistake. He’d heard that this was one of the (if not _the_ ) creepiest movies ever made, and he realized that that was completely, one hundred percent true. He was more than a little freaked out, but it was too late to turn back. He snuck a glance at Gabriel, who was staring transfixed at the screen, mouth slightly open as he watched. He thought he saw Gabe flinch a little at a sudden shift in the music, so Sam pressed the tiniest bit closer to his friend. That broke Gabriel’s trance and he glanced at Sam with a smile that looked a little shaky. Silently and without even thinking about it, Sam reached out and grasped Gabriel’s hand, not completely sure if he was trying to comfort Gabe or comfort himself.

Somehow, they made it through the movie. When the end credits started, Sam let out the breath he hadn’t known he’d been holding, and felt his body relax slightly. He looked over to Gabe and they shared hesitant smiles.

“We survived,” Gabriel said in a whisper, making sure that Dean and Cas couldn’t hear them.

“Yeah, we did,” Sam agreed proudly, starting to regain his confidence. He glanced over to the other sofa to see if their brothers looked impressed, but they weren’t paying any attention, too busy sharing their own private moment, Castiel smiling softly as Dean whispered something in his ear. Gabriel noticed this as well and, determined as ever to be the annoying younger brother, loudly interrupted them.

“We made it through the movie,” he declared proudly.

“Congratulations,” Dean replied, not even looking away from Cas. “Now you gotta make it through the night.”

Gabriel stuck his tongue out, not that Dean could see it. “Come on, Sam,” he said loftily, standing and waiting for Sam to follow. “Let’s go to bed.”

“Good night,” Cas said sincerely, and Gabriel and Sam replied accordingly. Dean replied only after a pointed comment from Cas, but when he told them good night, he also genuinely added that they should wake him up if they needed anything.

Sam and Gabriel got ready for bed silently and then climbed into Sam’s double bed, which they were sharing like they always did when Gabe slept over. “Good night,” Sam said, yawning, as he turned out the light. He smiled as he heard Gabriel mumble a sleepy reply, then relaxed and closed his eyes.

Sam tried to fall asleep, but just couldn’t get the movie out of his head. He started off picturing the woman killed in the bathroom but his mind soon jumped to other things, imagining that the closet door was slowly creaking open or the trees outside held a man peeking inside the window, or that the shadows on the wall were humanoid figures waiting for him to drift off so they could attack. Which was ridiculous, because one, none of that was even in the movie, and two, Sam hadn’t been that paranoid since he was a kid. Frowning, he shifted, rolling over to his other side to see if his luck would be better if he wasn’t staring into the dark, empty room.

“Sam?” he heard when he turned. He watched as Gabriel rolled over as well.

“Yeah?” he replied, gazing into the other boy’s eyes.

“Can’t sleep. You?” Gabriel’s voice was soft.

“Same.”

“I really thought it’d be fine,” Gabriel whispered. “Guess I was wrong.”

Sam huffed out a laugh. “Yeah,” he agreed.

“Maybe…” Gabriel hesitated. It sounded innocent enough, but Sam could hear an edge in his voice.

“Maybe what?” he prodded.

Gabriel gave him a slow, sly smile. “Maybe if we, y’know, _held_ each other, it’d distract our minds.”

Sam stared at him. “Are you trying to cuddle with me?” he asked, images of the movie already starting to slip his mind.

Gabriel shrugged with his free shoulder. “Is it working?”

Sam reached out and pulled the smaller boy close to his chest. “What do you think?” he asked jokingly.

“I think you like me, Sam Winchester,” Gabriel teased.

“Maybe I do, Gabriel Novak,” Sam shot back. He gave Gabe a quick kiss on the cheek and then rested his head against the pillow. As he smiled at Gabriel, he found himself forgetting the movie and it wasn’t long before they were both fast asleep.


	13. Jumping in a Leaf Pile

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fandom: Parks and Rec  
> Pairing: Benslie  
> Word Count: 513  
> Tags: fluff, high school au, first kiss, friends to lovers

It was a chilly October day as Ben walked home from school, but he didn’t really mind. His best friend Leslie was with him as usual and somehow, cheesy as it sounded, her presence always had a way of warming him up. She was especially chipper today since it was a Friday and they had all afternoon to hang out.

“Hurry up, Ben!” she called from a few feet in front of him. “Slowpoke,” she teased when he jogged to catch up.

Ben rolled his eyes. “Just ‘cause _you_ have endless hyper energy.”

She shoved her shoulder into his, enough to push him but not enough to hurt. Her attention was quickly caught by something else, though. They were almost to their houses when they passed the Dwyer household. There was a huge pile of leaves in front of it and Ben could see as Leslie’s eyes widened in excitement. He could tell what she was planning and attempted to hold her back

“Leslie, don’t,” he said, but she shrugged his hand off.

“It’s too tempting,” she said with a grin.

“Leslie, it’s not your house,” Ben argued, but Leslie shrugged.

“So? We know the Dwyer’s; they won’t care.”

Ben had to admit that Leslie was right; in fact, the couple’s youngest son, Andy, would probably jump in them sooner or later if Leslie didn’t.

Ben’s lack of response told Leslie that she had won and she quickly dropped her backpack to the ground. She grinned wickedly and then took a flying leap into the pile, spraying dry leaves all over the place. She lay down splayed on her back and laughed. “You have to try it!” she called to Ben.

“Absolutely not,” Ben said, but knew that no matter how hard he tried, resistance was futile.

“C’mon, Ben, don’t be a hardass!”

Ben rolled his eyes and shrugged off his backpack. He laid it next to Leslie’s on the sidewalk, thanked god that he was wearing dark clothes that wouldn’t show dirt, and then ran and jumped to join Leslie. He landed awkwardly but Leslie gave a delighted laugh as he rolled over to face her.

“You’re crazy,” he said, shaking his head affectionately.

“I know,” she said happily. They gazed at each other in silence for a few moments before Leslie surprised Ben by leaning over to press a quick kiss to his lips. She pulled away and jumped up, but Ben was frozen in place.

“Did you just-?” he stammered as she extended a hand to pull him up.

He got a non-answer. “I know you like me,” she explained. “It’s pretty obvious; you’re not very sneaky.”

Ben made a face, but knew she was right. “Well in that case,” he said, slowly starting to smile. “Can we kiss again?”

Leslie answered by wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him in again. “Good idea,” she mumbled against his lips. A small part of Ben reminded him that they were still lying in a pile of leaves on someone else’s lawn, but a much larger part didn’t really care.


	14. Warm Apple Cider/Hot Chocolate etc.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fandom: Supernatural  
> Pairing: Destiel  
> Word Count: 1,057  
> Tags: fluff, alternate universe, established relationship

Dean really didn’t like raking leaves. It was boring and pointless (every time he raked them away about a thousand more showed up and he had to do it again anyway) and somehow the task always fell to him and not his boyfriend. If it were his decision, they would just let the leaves sit on the lawn for decoration. So when Cas gazed out the kitchen window one Saturday morning at breakfast and reminded Dean that the leaves really needed to be raked, he sighed and asked why it was always his turn, to which his boyfriend responded unsatisfyingly, “You’re better at it.”

“How the fuck can you be bad at raking leaves?” Dean muttered petulantly, but downed the rest of his coffee anyway and left the kitchen to find his coat. It was those adoring puppy eyes, it had to be. How else did Cas get out of raking the leaves every single time?

An hour and a half later, Dean was finished with the entire lawn and the driveway. He came back inside and was immediately ambushed by Cas, who pulled him into a tight embrace, placing soft kisses all over his face before finding his lips.

“Well hello,” Dean managed to murmur between kisses. “Someone’s affectionate.” Cas didn’t bother to answer, just continued to kiss him as he gently led Dean back to the kitchen. Once Cas’ back was pressed against the counter, he pulled back enough to gesture to two steaming mugs beside him.

“I made you hot apple cider,” he said, smiling hopefully as he waited for Dean’s reaction.

Dean’s eyes lit up and he eagerly grabbed a mug, breathing in the steam and letting it soothe his dry throat as he let out a sigh. “Thanks, babe,” he said as he took a small sip, too impatient to wait for it to cool. Cas gave him one last hug, pressing a soft kiss to Dean’s shoulder, before grabbing his own mug. As he drank the hot beverage, Dean thought that maybe raking leaves wasn’t so bad if this was what it got him.

The next Saturday, the yard was covered in freshly fallen leaves again, and Dean reluctantly put on a coat and went outside to rake them. Cas had been up late grading papers and was still asleep in their bed, so Dean decided to surprise him by raking the leaves without complaint. When he finished and came back inside, Cas was waiting for him with freshly-made hot chocolate (complete with mini marshmallows) and a cozy fire. They curled up under blankets in the living room and shared sugary sweet kisses in front of the fireplace.

The week after that, Dean was halfway through raking the leaves when Cas left in his old Continental, saying something about having a few errands to run. Dean shrugged and continued what he was doing. Cas returned a few minutes before Dean had finished and was waiting in the kitchen when Dean came in from outside.

“Lunch is ready,” Cas said, pulling Dean down for a kiss before gesturing to the table. “I stopped at Benny’s and bought sandwiches, as well as your favorite café au lait and beignets. Benny says we need to come over for dinner soon; Andrea’s been caught up with the new baby, and he thinks she needs a distraction,” he added.

“Yeah, we’ll arrange something,” Dean said, rubbing Cas’ shoulders briefly before grabbing his food and coffee and taking a seat. He sighed happily as he took a bite – Benny had the best authentic Louisiana cuisine and his diner was one of Dean and Cas’ favorite restaurants. “This is delicious,” he said as he bit into a beignet, still warm and soft.

Cas smiled and placed his hand over Dean’s on the table as he took a bite from his own sandwich. “Benny does have the best food,” he agreed after he swallowed the bite.

Dean’s mouth was too full to get out anything but a mumbled “Mhmm,” and Cas chuckled at the sight. Dean couldn’t care less though and thanked his lucky stars for Cas’ thoughtfulness.

Another week passed and Dean was outside raking the leaves _again_ , his mood dour due to both the abundance of dead leaves and the impending rain. Thankfully, though, he finished right as the drops start falling from the sky so he wasn’t too wet when he came back in. As usual, Cas was there to greet him with eager kisses and a hot beverage, which Dean gratefully accepted as his mood started to improve.

He and Cas were snuggled together on the living room sofa, empty mugs on the coffee table, when suddenly something clicked in Dean’s mind. He stared suspiciously at Cas, who was contentedly watching the rain run down the window pane, legs resting casually on Dean’s lap. “Wait,” Dean said, “have you been secretly _bribing_ me to rake the leaves?!”

Cas’ smile shifted to what appeared to be a knowing smirk, but he didn’t answer the question. “What makes you say that, Dean?” he asked, still watching the rain.

Dean poked him in the side and Cas yelped, now giving Dean his full attention as Dean spoke. “Every week, you convince me to go out and rake the leaves – a chore that I hate doing and you know it – and every week I come back inside to find an affectionate boyfriend and a hot drink,” Dean said. “You asshole,” he added without any bite, shaking his head. “Training me to rake the leaves by plying me with affection.”

Cas shrugged, not denying anything, then gave Dean a sly smile. “I don’t recall you _complaining_ about the affection,” he said, proving his point by giving Dean a lingering kiss that Dean only pulled back from when he needed to breathe.

“Yeah, I guess it wasn’t _so_ bad,” he murmured against Cas lips. “Though maybe we could switch off, you know? Give me the chance to be the doting boyfriend.” He pushed his fingers gently through Cas’ hair and gave him another slow kiss.

“That… can be arranged,” Cas mumbled, eagerly chasing the kiss when Dean pulled back. Dean laughed, and they spent the rest of the morning exchanging lazy kisses on the sofa. Dean had to admit, raking leaves did turn out to be way better than he expected.


	15. Corn Maze

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fandom: Parks and Rec  
> Pairing: Benslie  
> Word Count: 808  
> Tags: fluff, canon divergence, first kiss, set during 3x07 Harvest Festival, friends to lovers

It was on the third day of the Harvest Festival that Leslie pulled Ben aside just after opening and whispered, “Meet me in the corn maze at ten,” into his ear, grinning mysteriously when he gave her a confused look.

“Leslie, what are you-?”

She took off before she could hear the rest of his question, knowing that if he asked for clarification she was going to lose her nerve and say something stupid to cover up her true intent. She couldn’t do that, not when she’d realized just how much she wanted this, something _more_ with Ben, something that for all she knew had been building between them from their very first meeting.

After all, wasn’t there a saying that love and hatred were just the good and bad versions of the same emotion? Not that she had _hated_ Ben when they first met. Strong dislike, she assured herself. And it wasn’t like the feeling wasn’t mutual at the time. And besides, what they had now certainly wasn’t _love_ – not _yet_ , her traitorous mind teased her – though perhaps, with time, it would grow to be. Which, honestly, was a scary thought, because when Leslie Knope fell in love, she fell completely, passionately, head over heels, and to do that in a romantic way? Terrifying.

Leslie hadn’t been paying attention to where her feet were taking her during her escape, but breathed a sigh of relief that her instinct had led her to the first aid tent.

“Ann!” she burst out when she saw the beautiful nurse, who was thankfully alone.

“Leslie, are you okay?” Ann asked concernedly, standing quickly and rushing over to Leslie.

Leslie shook her head. “I asked Ben to meet me in the corn maze!” she burst out.

Ann’s eyes widened and she grinned. “Oh my god, _Leslie_!” She pulled Leslie into a tight hug. “Honestly, I thought you two were headed there, but I didn’t want to say anything yet. Wow, though, perfect timing with the Harvest Festival, right?”

Leslie nodded slowly. “But Ben,” she started. “Ben’s not from here,” she said. “He doesn’t know the tradition.”

Ann frowned. “You’re right, I didn’t even think of that. I’m sure it’ll be fine, though,” she reassured Leslie. “Just explain it to him. He’s clearly gone on you; you have nothing to worry about.”

“You think so?” Leslie asked, heartbeat speeding up in either anticipation or nerves, she couldn’t tell. Maybe it was both.

“Yes,” Ann said confidently. She gave Leslie a knowing smile. “Now, go get your man,” she said, nudging Leslie lightly toward the front of the tent.

Leslie bit her lip nervously as she walked up to the entrance of the corn maze, where Ben was waiting for her.

“I wasn’t sure what you meant earlier,” he explained before she could speak. “Is this okay? Did you want me to be _in_ the maze?”

Leslie shook her head, feeling butterflies in her stomach. “Come with me,” she said, gesturing with her head. She led him into the maze, not really paying attention to where she was going as they walked. At one point, it occurred to her to take his hand, which she did, noting how perfectly it wrapped around her own.

“Leslie, what’s going on?” Ben asked finally breaking the silence. “You’re being unusually quiet.”

Leslie came to a stop and turned to face him. There was obvious confusion on his face, though he didn’t look annoyed, just curious. She longed to kiss the expression away, but knew she owed him an explanation before trying.

“It’s an old Pawnee tradition,” she started, glancing around them. There was no sign of anyone nearby. “During the Harvest Festival, people – mainly high schoolers – would ask each other to ‘meet them in the corn maze.’ They’d meet in an empty spot and make out.” Ben raised his eyebrows, but said nothing, and Leslie continued. “It actually got so bad that when I was in high school, they had to assign staff to walk around the maze and kick kids out,” she said. “But we did it anyway.”

“So your request this morning…?” Ben asked, starting to smile as he grabbed Leslie’s other hand.

“Wanna meet me in the corn maze?” Leslie asked again, smiling as well.

“Hell yes,” Ben murmured, closing the distance between them and capturing her lips in a deep kiss. It was confident and passionate and a little bit desperate as the tension between them finally melted. It wasn’t long before Ben’s hand was in her hair and her tongue was in his mouth, and it was definitely the best kiss she’d ever had.

“Wow,” she said when they parted. She grinned and pecked his lips again, just because she could. “I’ll have to ask you to meet me here more often,” she teased, accepting another kiss.

Ben smiled back. “Please do.”


	16. By The Fire(place)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fandom: Supernatural  
> Pairings: Destiel, Sabriel  
> Word Count: 1,355  
> Tags: fluff, alternate universe, high school!au, college!au, established relationship, camping

“…So he followed his wife all the way to the cabin, only to find out that it wasn’t his wife but an evil spirit, who had lured him to her home so she could murder him,” Dean said, voice lowering dramatically to emphasize his words.

Silence. He glanced around, trying to gauge everyone’s reactions. Sam looked interested but not scared at all and Gabriel wasn’t even paying attention as he concentrated on not burning the marshmallow he was holding carefully over the fire. The only one who looked remotely discomforted was Cas, but Dean figured that had more to do with the cold than the story, as Cas was staring straight ahead into the fire as he shivered, even under the thick sweatshirt he was wearing.

“C’mon, guys, really?” Dean complained. “No reaction? Wasn’t that at least a _little_ scary?”

“For a ten-year-old, maybe,” Gabriel commented as he carefully slid his perfectly golden-brown marshmallow onto a graham cracker. Dean glared but it went unnoticed as Gabriel completed his s’more and took a huge bite, grinning at Sam (who rolled his eyes amusedly) with gooey strings of marshmallow stuck to his teeth.

“Gross,” Dean heard Sam say as he turned, frowning, to Cas, who was still shivering.

“Cas, you okay?” he asked concernedly, waving his hand in front of the boy’s face to get his attention.

“Hmm–? Oh, yes, I’m fine, Dean,” Castiel assured him. “Just a little cold.”

“Well we can fix that,” Dean said slyly, pulling Cas practically into his lap as he grabbed a nearby blanket. He spread the blanket out over top of them then rubbed Cas’ upper arms vigorously, trying to warm the boy up. “Better?” he murmured, breath hot against Cas’ ear.

“Mhmm,” Cas mumbled, nuzzling closer into Dean’s chest and pressing a soft kiss against his neck.

Dean chuckled as his hand continued a steady path up and down along Cas’ arm. It _was_ a bit cold, but he really loved camping in the fall, when the trees were bare and fallen leaves covered the ground. He liked the crisp air and the clear skies, and the excuse to cuddle closer to his boyfriend was an added bonus, so he was enjoying the chance to relax for the weekend, even with their younger brothers tagging along. When they’d heard that Dean and Cas were going camping for a weekend on a break from school, the two fifteen-year-olds had begged their parents to go as well, and as much as Dean opposed it, both of their families agreed. Now, Dean loved his younger brother and didn’t generally mind having him and Gabriel tag along with them, but he and Cas were at different colleges and didn’t get to see each other as often as they’d prefer, so Dean had been hoping that this trip would entail some more _intimate_ activities, which wasn’t easy to arrange with their brothers there.

Which, speaking of… “Hey, bedtime,” he said to Sam and Gabe, pointing at their tent. Gabriel pouted, looking like he wanted to argue, but Sam leaned over to whisper something in his ear and whatever it was quickly turned Gabriel’s pout into a grin. Dean wasn’t about to complain about the lack of an argument, though, and thought nothing of it when he wished them good night as they crawled into the tent they were sharing.

When they were gone, he turned back to the fire and nudged Cas, who was still pressed closely to his side. “You awake?” he said softly.

“Yeah,” Cas murmured, lifting his head to give Dean a kiss. Dean responded eagerly, tongue tracing the curve of Castiel’s lower lip and slipping inside his mouth as he deepened the kiss. One of his hands curled around Cas’ jaw as the other slipped lower, down Cas’ back and around to his thigh. As his hand strayed dangerously close to the other boy’s lap, though, Cas suddenly pulled back.

“We can’t, Dean,” he murmured. “Not here.” It was Dean’s turn to pout, which he did, though all it did was make Cas chuckle. “I know,” he said, stroking a hand through Dean’s hair. “It’s a pain.”

Dean muttered something not very nice about “cock-blocking little brothers” that earned him another laugh from Cas. “Stop laughing,” he complained, giving Cas his most pitiful expression. “I only get to see my boyfriend once every month or two. A guy has needs, you know.”

“Oh, I know,” Cas murmured, lowering his voice suggestively to tease Dean, who groaned in frustration.

“You infuriate me,” he said, wrinkling his nose.

Cas smiled sweetly. “I try,” he said, giving Dean another quick kiss. “Hey,” he mentioned a moment later, lowering his voice back to a whisper. “Maybe we could get back at them. Play a little prank?” He described what he had in mind and Dean quickly agreed, never able to resist the fun of a harmless prank.

Cas’ idea was of the classic pull-the-tent-stakes-and-watch-it-collapse variety, which was good because it was easy to do and fairly harmless. Dean smirked as they quietly approached the tent, pulling out the stakes as planned and letting gravity do the rest as the tent fell to the ground, eliciting surprised shrieks from inside. Dean and Castiel were unable to hold back any longer and broke out into laughter as their brothers yelled at them from the jumbled tent.

“You okay in there, Sammy? Gabe?” Dean teased, grinning at Cas, who smirked back at him.

“Fuck you,” Sam complained as they heard Gabe shout “Just peachy!”

Dean and Cas laughed and Dean pulled the tent flap open. He was still looking at Cas though, so he didn’t notice anything strange until Cas’ face changed.

“What–?” he started, frowning in confusion as he turned to follow Cas’ gaze. His eyes widened as he took in the scene in front of him. “What the hell?” he exclaimed, all previous amusement gone from his face and replaced with surprise. Unless his eyes were deceiving him, his brother was pinned underneath Gabriel, both of them with identical spit-slick lips and guilty expressions. “Dude, were you guys making out?!” Dean asked bluntly.

Sam rolled his eyes in a valiant, though unsuccessful, attempt to hide his embarrassment as Gabe answered, “Well what do you do with _your_ boyfriend?” That only increased the disbelief on Dean and Cas’ faces.

“Boyfriend?” Cas said, glancing at Dean for confirmation that he was hearing his brother correctly. Dean gave him a wide-eyed shrug and they turned back to their brothers. “Since when?” Cas asked.

Sam and Gabe glanced at each other. “About a month and a half,” Sam admitted, gazing at Gabriel warmly as Gabe brushed a piece of hair out of Sam’s face, neither of them seeming to realize that Gabriel was still on top of Sam.

“And you didn’t say anything?” Dean asked, a little miffed. The boys shrugged guiltily. Dean rolled his eyes. “Like we care,” he said. “Just be safe,” he said, grinning wickedly as he was met with indignant cries of disgust. “Have a nice night,” he said, still grinning as he grabbed Cas’ hand and dragged him back to their own tent.

“Hey, wait!” Gabe called. “What about our tent?”

“You should probably fix that!” Dean called back, breaking into laughter as Cas shook his head disapprovingly, looking like he was trying to hold back a smile.

“That wasn’t very nice,” he admonished, though he didn’t resist when Dean tugged him into his arms. His smile finally won out when Dean shouted a very loud “Bitch!” in response to Sam’s equally loud “Jerk!”

“What are brothers for?” he joked, turning back to Cas.

“You do know they’re going to get back at us for this,” Cas stated.

“It was your idea,” Dean argued, and apparently Cas didn’t have a good answer for that, because instead of responding, he just leaned over and gave Dean a lingering kiss, effectively ending the conversation. “I thought so,” Dean said smugly when they pulled apart.

“Shut up and kiss me,” Cas replied, and Dean, never one to resist his boyfriend’s orders, did just that.


	17. Candles

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fandom: Parks and Rec  
> Pairing: Benslie  
> Word Count: 232  
> Tags: fluff, established relationship

Ben walked into his and Leslie’s living room and stopped. There were candles everywhere. Candles on the coffee table, candles on the windowsill, candles on the fireplace, all different colors and scents, none of which he had ever seen before. He stared for a minute in shock then called, “Leslie?!”

“Yes?” she responded innocently, walking into the room behind him.

He turned to face her. “How exactly did we acquire fifty new candles?”

“It’s only twenty, babe,” was her not-so-reassuring answer.

He just looked at her. Leslie sighed and said, “I went to the farmer’s market earlier and there was a very nice lady selling candles for fall. And I couldn’t decide which one I liked best so I bought one of each.”

“Leslie…” Ben said. “We can’t just buy twenty new candles for no reason.”

“But Ben, they’re fall scented! Apple Spice, Pumpkin Pie, Autumn Breeze–”

Ben stopped her before she could continue listing off candle scents. “Are you sure you’re gonna use them?” he asked.

“Already am,” she said. “Can’t you smell the hot cider?”

Now that she mentioned it, Ben had to admit the house did smell pretty nice. He sighed and relented, knowing there was no use arguing anyway. And when the night brought a very romantic candlelit dinner followed by some very romantic candlelit making out and subsequent candlelit love making, he figured he couldn’t complain.


	18. Flannel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fandom: Supernatural  
> Pairing: Destiel  
> Word Count: 1,275  
> Tags: fluff, canon!verse, first kiss, clothes sharing, friends to lovers

Castiel knew he should have brought a jacket. After all, he was human now, and in Minnesota during October, working a case with Sam and Dean. It appeared to be a standard ghost haunting, nothing a little salt and fire couldn’t cure, but they hadn’t figured out what was tying the woman’s spirit to Earth yet. So while Sam was in the town library doing research, Dean and Castiel were sitting out in the Impala, eating their dinner. Or rather, Dean was still finishing his burger, but Castiel had already eaten his and was instead trying to figure out how to warm his body up while Dean gave him weird looks as he shivered and shifted in his seat uncomfortably.

“Dude, you cold?” Dean said finally, breaking the previous silence. Castiel nodded, feeling goosebumps on the exposed skin of his forearms. Dean sighed and rolled his eyes. “Told ya to bring a jacket,” he added lightly, even as he started to shrug off his own flannel button-down.

He held it out to Castiel, who attempted to protest but Dean refused to give in. “Take it,” he insisted, shoving it against Castiel’s chest. He had an affectionate smile on his face and those bright green eyes were too hard to resist. Castiel glanced down at the shirt and then back to Dean’s face before finally grabbing it and pulling it on gratefully.

Castiel sighed in contentment when he instantly felt much warmer. The fabric was soft and smelled like Dean, and he found himself wishing he keep the scent with him forever. He noticed Dean still staring at him, mouth slightly agape, and smiled gratefully. “Thank you, Dean,” he said, pulling the fabric tighter over his hands.

“Yeah, sure… Any time, Cas,” Dean said, coughing and glancing away.

Not another word about the shirt was spoken, though Castiel noticed a smile flash across Sam’s face when he returned and saw it, even if he couldn’t figure out what it meant.

Back at the motel, Castiel immediately jumped in the shower, eager to warm himself up further. Showering had been a strange thing to get used to when he first fell, but during his times as a human, Castiel had grown to love the feeling of warm water cascading over his head and down his back and legs, which led to him sometimes forgetting that he couldn’t stay under the spray forever. He couldn’t count the number of times that he had lost track of time and stayed in the shower too long to come out to find Dean grumbling about not having any hot water left. This time, though, Castiel managed to take a fairly quick shower, and was soon out and drying himselfoff. He pulled on his pajamas and couldn’t resist putting Dean’s flannel shirt back on. He probably looked a little ridiculous and mismatched, but the shirt was warm and reminded him of Dean, so he couldn’t bring himself to care.

He walked out of the bathroom to see Dean reclined on one of the beds, watching one of his Spanish soap operas intently. Sam had been the lucky one with a room to himself this time and was probably using his solitude to do research. Dean looked up when he heard the bathroom door close and his eyes widened briefly when he saw Castiel. Something flashed through his expression, but Castiel couldn’t quite determine what it was.

“You can take your shower now,” Castiel said, pulling back the covers on his own bed and sitting down.

“Yeah, okay,” Dean replied, eyes not leaving Castiel’s as he stood up. “I’ll, uh, do that,” he said, walking to the bathroom. Castiel heard the water start again, but was fast asleep by the time Dean finished his shower, wrapped in the comfort of the plaid flannel.

\---

Castiel never actually returned the shirt. When they finished the hunt, he packed it up with the rest of his stuff and kept it with his other clothes once they returned to the bunker. Dean either didn’t notice or didn’t care, and neither of them brought it up. Castiel really only ever wore it to sleep in, so it was possible that Dean had just forgotten.

One day in early November however, Castiel was in his room reading a book when he realized he was cold, so he put the flannel on over his t-shirt. He had forgotten he was still wearing it when he emerged from his room and headed to the kitchen for lunch, passing Sam in the hallway, where he received a knowing smile and a wink. He was still frowning in confusion as he walked into the kitchen, where Dean had made grilled cheese for lunch.

“Hello, Dean,” Castiel said, grabbing himself a plate and a sandwich and sitting down at the table.

“Heya, Cas,” Dean said comfortably. He glanced up and did a double-take. Castiel noticed Dean’s eyes sweeping briefly over him before he flushed pink and looked back down at his own sandwich.

“Are you all right, Dean?” Castiel asked, tilting his head in concern. “You seem flustered,” he clarified when Dean only blushed further.

“I just – you… I mean,” Dean stuttered. He rubbed a hand over the back of his neck. “That’s my shirt,” he said finally.

Castiel frowned. “I apologize; I can give it back if you want. It’s just that it’s warm and comfortable and–” _reminds me of you_ , he didn’t say.

“No, no,” Dean said quickly. “It’s fine, you’re fine, I just, uh…” He paused briefly. “It looks good on you.”

Castiel pondered that for a second. “You’re flustered because you like the way the shirt looks on me?” he asked, finally starting to understand what Dean’s facial expressions had meant. He realized where this was going and was all too willing to take it there. “Or because you like to see me wearing your shirt?”

Dean coughed awkwardly. “Uh, both?” he said hesitantly. His eyes looked like he was on the verge of panicking, so Castiel decided to ease his worries. He reached out his hand and placed it over Dean’s. Dean glanced down at the sight but didn’t move.

“Dean,” Castiel started, “I kept the shirt because _I_ like how it reminds me of you. I like the fact that it’s yours, like… like it’s a little piece of you that I can have for myself.”

At that, Dean finally looked up to meet Castiel’s eyes again. “Really?” he asked.

“Really,” Castiel replied.

Dean took a deep breath and said, “Y’know, Cas, you can have as much of me as you want.”

This time, it was Castiel’s turn to ask “Really?” and Dean answered him by leaning across the table to bring their lips together in a soft kiss. It was far too brief, and Castiel made an involuntary noise of protest when Dean pulled back.

“Table was pressing into my stomach,” Dean explained. He stood and walked around the table until he was in front of Castiel, who had stood up as well. This time, Castiel was the one to close the distance, leaning into Dean, who happily wrapped his arms around Castiel’s waist to tug him as close as possible. Too soon, they were forced to break apart again to breathe, but Dean kept Castiel close, resting their foreheads together.

“Can I… can I have all of you?” Castiel asked softly, earning an affectionate smile from Dean.

“Yeah, Cas,” he said, chuckling. “You already do.” And with that he captured Castiel’s lips again, refusing to let his former angel go, even when Sam walked back in, clearing his throat pointedly and complaining, “Seriously, guys?”


	19. Nestled Under Blankets

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fandom: Supernatural  
> Pairing: Sabriel  
> Word Count: 683  
> Tags: fluff, established relationship, married!au, parents

Sam couldn’t help but laugh as he opened the door to his bedroom to reveal his bed completely buried under heavy blankets. And he couldn’t help but laugh harder when closer inspection revealed his husband’s head peeking out from underneath all those blankets, looking weary and miserable.

“Stop laughing, gigantor,” Gabriel tried to grumble, but a coughing fit overtook him before he could finish his sentence. Sam carried a mug of tea and bowl of hot soup over to the bed as Gabriel coughed.

“Sorry, Gabe,” Sam said, trying not to grin. It didn’t work. “You just look so adorable,” he said, setting the bowl and mug down on the night table.

Gabriel glared at him, but Sam found it hard to take him seriously when he looked so pitiful. It didn’t help that Gabe’s glaring was interrupted by two forceful sneezes and a subsequent groan as he relaxed back into the mattress. “I hate this,” he muttered petulantly as he blew his nose.

Sam finally took pity on him, sitting down on the bed and running his fingers through Gabe’s hair. His pretty whiskey-colored eyes were now reddish and watery while his silky soft hair was limp and tangled, but Sam thought he was still gorgeous. “I brought you tea and soup,” Sam murmured comfortingly as Gabriel leaned into his touch.

Gabriel sighed gratefully. “I love you,” he mumbled, slowly forcing himself to sit up before grabbing the steaming mug.

“Love you, too,” Sam said, patting him gently on the shoulder. He sat patiently as Gabriel sipped the tea and slowly ate the soup. When he was finished and the bowl and mug were sitting on the night table again, Sam carefully pushed him back into the mattress.

“You need rest,” he said gently but firmly, placing a soft kiss to Gabe’s hair. Gabriel was too tired to resist and his eyes were already fluttering shut when Sam left the room. Sam didn’t get very far though – no sooner had he stepped into the hallway than he noticed their little girl standing in the doorway to her room clutching her favorite teddy bear.

“Ella?” he asked softly. “What’s wrong?”

“P – Papa?” she asked hesitantly. “I think I’m sick.”

Sam sighed inwardly but crossed the hall anyway and scooped her up into his arms. “How do you feel?” he asked.

She buried her face in his neck. “’M hot and my throat hurts. And I keep sneezing. And I’m tired.”

“That sure sounds like a cold, kiddo,” Sam said, patting her back. He was about to carry her to her room and put her in bed when Gabriel’s voice interrupted them.

“C’mere sweetheart,” he called hoarsely from their bedroom.

“You’re supposed to be sleeping,” Sam admonished gently as he stuck his head back in the room, but the girl in his arms had lifted her head at the sound of her other dad’s voice.

“Do you wanna stay with Daddy?” Sam asked his daughter softly and she nodded. “All right,” he sighed, carrying her to the bed. She wriggled in his arms until he placed her down, immediately crawling under the pile of blankets and into the open arms of her dad.

“It’s okay, honeybun,” Gabriel murmured, kissing her hair gently like Sam had done to him earlier. “We’ll get better. For now just go to sleep.” He raised his eyes and gazed at Sam. “Care to join us?” he asked.

“I’m not sick,” Sam protested even as he shrugged off his flannel and pulled back the covers. He climbed in beside his husband and daughter anyway and scooted close. Ella appeared to be asleep already so Sam carefully pushed her hair back from her face and then reached his arm over both of them to grasp Gabriel’s bicep.

“You get some sleep too,” he advised. “I’ll be here.”

Gabriel gave him a soft smile before closing his eyes. As he laid there and watched his husband and daughter sleeping peacefully, Sam couldn’t even find it in him to be annoyed that he would most likely be the next one to get sick.


	20. Festival

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fandom: Parks and Rec  
> Pairing: Benslie  
> Word Count: 581  
> Tags: fluff, canon divergence, first kiss, friends to lovers, time skip

**Harvest Festival 2011**

On the third day of the Harvest Festival, Leslie worked up the courage to grab Ben’s hand as they found their way through the corn maze together, giggling as they got lost no less than seven times while trying to navigate the high rows of corn. Ben’s hand was warm and solid around hers; it was cliché, but she’d even dare to say it fit perfectly.

That night, on the Ferris wheel, which had taken a lot of convincing on Leslie’s part to get Ben to ride, he was the one to grab her hand, though she suspected it was as much out of fear as anything else. She leaned into his side, gazing out at the twinkling lights below them, then, in a sudden burst of courage, tilted her head up and pressed her lips to his. She felt him startle for the tiniest fraction of a second but then he was kissing back, lips moving frantically against hers, fingers curling into her hair, and they kissed and kissed and kissed until the ride stopped.

 

**Harvest Festival 2020**

“Mommy, can we ride the rolly-coaster? And the ponies? And the Ferris wheel?”

At the last one, Leslie sent a knowing grin toward Ben. “I think you’re a little too small for the roller coaster, Westley,” she said. “But we can ride everything else.”

The excited grin on her son’s face was worth all the hassle they had gone through trying to get three five-year-olds dressed, fed, and out the door that morning and Leslie grinned back.

“I wanna see the History of Pawnee exhibit and the horses and get cotton candy,” Sonia piped up. Leslie squeezed her hand, which was small and soft in her own. Sonia alone seemed to have inherited Leslie’s love for history and Leslie delighted in explaining in detail numerous important people in history – with a focus on the women, of course – and was just as eager to check out the exhibit.

Ben, apparently recognizing the look in her eye, nodded and shot her a grin. “Take Sonia to the history area; we’ll meet up with you two in an hour or so.”

Sonia squealed in excitement. “Will you tell me about the first female mayor of Pawnee?”

Leslie laughed as they walked away from the boys. “Of course.”

\---

Later that night, once the triplets had been put under the care of Chris and Ann in order to give Ben and Leslie a break, Leslie dragged a reluctant Ben to the Ferris wheel, where he jokingly groaned and complained as they waited in line, though their hands were tangled together between them. Once on the ride, Ben wrapped his arm around Leslie’s shoulder and pulled her close against him.

“Hey,” she murmured, glancing up at him with a grin.

“Hey,” he replied with a fond look.

Neither of them spoke, but Leslie knew that they were both remembering the first kiss of many on the same ride nearly ten years earlier. They’d come so far since then, and as Leslie leaned in for a kiss, she was filled with nostalgia and pride for the people they had been and the ones they were now. Things would never be how they were, which was good and right, and Leslie knew that years from now things would be even more different. But as she kissed Ben in the dying evening light, she focused on _now_ , and how she was exactly where she wanted to be.


	21. First Frost

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fandom: Supernatural  
> Pairing: Destiel  
> Word Count: 968  
> Tags: fluff, alternate universe, established relationship, photographer!Cas

Dean Winchester loved to follow his boyfriend around – his boyfriend was a professional photographer and Dean frequently tailed him on his trips throughout the neighborhood and to the local parks as he took a break from his usual portraits and took pictures of nature instead. Castiel found it amusing and never minded having Dean watching him – he’d long since grown used to it – and Dean wasn’t really sure why it was so fascinating, but for some reason he could watch Cas take pictures all day.

On a dark morning early in October, Dean woke up feeling conspicuously cold. It took him a minute to realize that Cas was already up and dressed and had accidentally pulled the covers off of Dean’s feet when he got up. Dean slid out of bed, putting on his slippers and robe as he did so, and left to find Cas.

“What’cha doin’?” he murmured sleepily when he found his boyfriend in the living room with his cameras and equipment spread out around him.

“Good morning, Dean,” Cas said, smiling as he stood to pull Dean into a hug. Dean sighed contentedly, letting his body relax against his boyfriend’s and resting his chin on Cas’ shoulder as Cas answered him. “I’m going to Fuller’s Park this morning,” he said, rubbing Dean’s back soothingly. “It’s the first frost and I want to get pictures.”

“’S cold,” Dean mumbled, tilting his head to bury his face in Cas’ neck.

Cas chuckled as Dean’s breath tickled his skin. “I know it’s cold Dean,” he said. “You don’t have to come.”

“No, I _want_ to,” Dean countered immediately. “Love watching you take pictures,” he added softly.

“Well, I’m leaving in about ten minutes. There’s coffee in the kitchen and if you want, we can go out for breakfast when I’m finished,” Cas said, giving Dean a kiss on the top of his head, lips lingering on his sleep-ruffled hair.

Dean finally pulled away. “I’ll be right back,” he said, giving Cas a real kiss before returning upstairs to get dressed.

Twenty minutes later, they were at the park, just as the first rays of sunlight filtered above the horizon. “Perfect,” Cas said, setting up his equipment. Dean stood a few feet behind him with his coffee, watching as Cas prepared for a few wide shots of the tree line, where the pine trees glistened with frost and the sun lit them up in bright orange. He watched as Cas photographed the trees, focused intently on his work and losing himself in what he was doing. That was why Dean loved watching him: he got to see Cas doing something he truly loved, completely immersed in his comfort zone, and there was something fascinating about it.

Apparently, Cas had gotten enough photos of the trees, because he put some of his things away, picked up his camera, and moved closer, searching for objects that could be used for close-ups. Dean followed silently behind him, watching as Cas found a few oak leaves with acorn caps still attached and arranged them for a picture. For the next half hour or so, Dean followed his boyfriend around, watching as he took pictures of the trees, various leaves, the frost covered grass, even one of the boot print that Dean had left as he trailed behind him. (That one had gotten an amused “Really?” from Dean, though he knew that somehow when Cas took the picture, it would end up looking incredible.)

There was an old, rundown wood cabin not far into the woods, one of Cas’ favorite places to take pictures, so it was no surprise that he moved there next, quickly finding a frosty spider web on the side that was glowing beautifully in the morning sunlight. Cas eventually moved on, rounding the corner of the cabin, and Dean followed. He jumped when he turned the corner to find Cas right in front of him. “Jeez, Cas, warn a guy,” he complained.

“I apologize, Dean,” Cas said. “I just realized,” he continued. “I left my tripod back in the car. Do you mind grabbing it for me?”

Dean shrugged. “Sure, I’ll get it. Be back in a minute,” he said, turning and heading back down the short path.

When he returned, Cas was crouched on the ground by the wooden steps leading to the front door of the cabin, carefully photographing a frost-covered leaf sitting on the steps. “Hey, I got your thing…” he said, trailing off as he looked more carefully. The leaf was reddish orange and perfectly heart-shaped. “Hey, that looks cool,” he said as he moved closer. “But what’s on i– Cas?”

“Dean,” Cas said, finally looking up at him and meeting his widened eyes. “I found the leaf by accident and thought it would be the perfect opportunity.”

“To–”

“Propose,” Cas finished. He picked up one of the rings that was carefully placed on the leaf and held it up to Dean as he knelt on the ground. “Dean Winchester, will you marry me?”

“I – yes, of course, Cas,” Dean said, still surprised but never doubting his answer. “Of course,” he added softly as he knelt down in front of Cas, pulling him in for a loving kiss. “I love you,” he murmured against Cas’ lips, pulling the other man closer.

“Love you too,” Cas replied between kisses. They pulled away and stood as being on their knees got uncomfortable, and Cas slid the ring on Dean’s finger before slipping his own on as well. “Beautiful,” he murmured, smiling happily at Dean.

“Yes, you are,” Dean teased, pulling his now-fiancé in for another kiss. It was another hour before they actually walked out of the park, hand in hand, brand-new engagement photos on the camera and heart-shaped leaf carefully tucked into the camera bag.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Will I ever stop writing proposals? I doubt it.


	22. Kissing in the Rain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fandom: Supernatural  
> Pairing: Destiel  
> Word Count: 781  
> Tags: fluff, alternate universe, established relationship, kissing

It had been Cas’ idea to take a walk.

It was all Cas’ idea and Dean sure as hell would be blaming him for this. The weather had been beautiful when they left, sun peeking out from behind a few gray clouds, gentle breeze blowing through the bare tree branches and stirring up the fallen leaves into swirls of red and orange, but just when they turned around to head back, the first few drops of rain fell. It was nothing more than a light drizzle, but it was obvious that there would be more coming soon, so Dean and Cas hurried back down the path, trying uselessly to outrun the storm. They were still at least fifteen minutes from their destination – the cozy log cabin they had rented for a long weekend vacation – when the raindrops suddenly increased, both in size and number.

“Dammit,” Dean swore as he felt a large drop land next to his eye. He was trying to hurry, but Cas didn’t seem to want to walk any faster. “Can you go any slower?” he asked impatiently, trying to pull his boyfriend along the path with their entwined hands.

“Yes,” Cas stated, the small smirk on his lips an indication that he was being difficult on purpose.

“Do you _want_ to get soaked?” Dean questioned as the rain grew steadily harder. Cas said nothing, just slowed down his pace even more. “You do,” Dean answered himself, and Cas stopped and broke into a gentle smile. “Why?”

“Why not?” Cas answered simply, shrugging his shoulders. “We came out here to _relax_ , Dean. To forget about our lives and our jobs and just have some _fun_ for a weekend.”

“And standing out in the rain is fun,” Dean said skeptically, cocking an eyebrow.

“How often do you have the chance to just let yourself go, Dean?” Cas replied. “Just give in and have fun. Let yourself get wet without even caring about the consequences.”

Okay fine, Dean could kind of see Cas’ point. They were both busy and didn’t have a lot of time to just relax, which was why they had taken the weekend off. As Dean stared into Cas’ eyes, the cool blue hue standing out against the brown and gray and orange surrounding them, he felt his resolve waver. _Fine_ , he thought. He could do this. _They_ could do this.

“Okay,” he agreed, suddenly glad that they’d left everything in the cabin, including their phones. “Let’s have fun in the rain.” Cas gave him a wide, toothy smile at that and Dean’s heart swelled with affection, dispelling any remaining uncertainty.

As they made their way down the path again, hands still clasped loosely between them, Dean felt the cool rain starting to seep through his clothes, but for the first time in his life he was enjoying it, feeling none of the panic or rush to get indoors that would usually accompany being caught in the rain without a jacket.

“It feels good, doesn’t it?” Cas said after a while. Dean glanced at him, noticing how Castiel’s t-shirt was clinging to his skin under his jacket and his hair was plastered to his face. Dean dropped Cas’ hand to brush the hair off his face affectionately before grabbing it again and answering.

“Yeah, it does,” he admitted. “It’s… kinda liberating, I guess. To just not care for once.” Cas’ smile told Dean that he felt the same way.

By the time they reached the cabin again, the rain had increased to a steady downpour, but Dean had long since stopped caring. His t-shirt and flannel were soaked and clinging to his body, as were his jeans. Cas was the same way as he grinned at Dean, who couldn’t keep from staring at his rain-drenched boyfriend, looking so tempting when he was dripping wet and rumpled like that, droplets of water glistening on his eyelashes and slipping down his face.

Dean shook his head, laughing affectionately. “God, I love you,” he said, pulling Cas against him for a deep kiss. Their lips slipped and slid in the rain, faces soaked, but Dean didn’t care. He just kept kissing his boyfriend, who was so sweet and funny and always full of good ideas.

Dean was so content and relaxed that he didn’t even notice the discomfort that came from moving around in wet clothes until he and Cas had stumbled into the cabin minutes later. But even then he didn’t care, simply pulling off his wet clothes and laying them out to dry on the porch.

Cas laughed at him, but did the same thing and then followed his boyfriend to the bathroom for a nice hot shower.


	23. Baking Pies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fandom: Supernatural  
> Pairing: Destiel  
> Word Count: 1,150  
> Tags: fluff, alternate universe, strangers to friends to lovers

**Peach Pie**

_Hey, neighbor (sorry, I don’t know your name, though I’d love to find out ;) )_

_I just wanted to welcome you to the neighborhood, so I made you this pie (it’s peach). Hope you like it and feel free to stop by my place any time._

_Dean Winchester (2740 Stonewell Dr.)_

 

Castiel smiled at the unexpected note and picked up the pie, bringing it inside and placing it on the only clear space on the counter. He was nowhere near being unpacked yet, but he managed to find a fork and a knife to cut himself a generous slice. His eyes slipped closed as he took the first bite, savoring the taste of peach and cinnamon, and then ate the rest of his piece in record time, ignoring the scrutinizing gaze from his gray tabby cat. It didn’t occur to him until months later, but he may have fallen a little bit in love with the man right there, at the first bite of pie.

 

**Pecan Pie**

_Dean,_

_Thank you very much for the pie. It was delicious and I admit, I ate it in less than three days despite receiving multiple judging looks from my cat for the size of the pieces and the number of them I ate in one day. I made you a pecan pie as an additional thanks because if I’m going to return your dish anyway, it might as well have a pie in it. I will certainly take you up on your offer; will you be home next Saturday?_

_Castiel Novak_

 

Dean hadn’t known what to expect from his new neighbor when he’d dropped off the pie and the note; all he’d known was that someone had finally bought the house across the street after a year-long vacancy and that the guy was gorgeous. So he sent a pie, both as a welcome gift and, he would admit, as way to possibly (hopefully) meet the guy. If there was one thing he _didn’t_ expect, it was a ‘thank you’ pie in return, so when he came home from work to find it sitting neatly on his porch, well, he couldn’t be blamed for falling a little bit in love with the guy. (And it didn’t hurt that the pie was the best he’d had in a while.)

 

**Pumpkin Pie**

_Castiel (can I call you Cas?),_

_First of all, I like the way you think. More pie is never a bad thing. Also, don’t worry about how quickly you ate the pie – I just ate this one in two days and besides, in my experience, cats always look like they’re judging you. I couldn’t resist making you another pie, sorry. This one is pumpkin (a little early for Thanksgiving, I know). Yes, I’ll be home all day on Saturday. How about lunch? Pie’s not the only thing I can make. :)_

_Dean_

 

Castiel was definitely not expecting to see another pie sitting on his front porch when he came home from work on Thursday, and he smiled as he picked it and carried it inside, ignoring the butterflies in his stomach. He laughed at the note as he cut himself a large piece and ate it quickly while Daisy watched knowingly from by her food bowl. Every time he ate a slice of Dean’s pie, she would appear in the room with that expression, the one that seemed to say _you’ve got a crush and it’s exceedingly obvious_. And fine, it was true, which was why he was hoping that this Saturday get-together would be his chance to ask for a real date. A guy could hope, right?

 

**Blueberry Pie**

_Dean,_

_Thank you for lunch on Saturday. You’re an excellent cook and it was great to eat something other than peanut butter and jelly sandwiches or grilled cheese. (I really need to unpack the rest of my kitchenware, don’t I? I can bake a pie but can’t cook dinner.) Now that I know you how much you love pie, I baked a blueberry one. It probably isn’t as good as your mom’s, but I hope you enjoy it anyway. And since you asked about a second date, how does next Wednesday look for you? I finish work at five-thirty; perhaps we could go out for dinner?_

_Cas_

 

Dean grinned at the newest pie and note on his way inside his house. Their lunch on Saturday had gone _very_ well – he and Cas had hit it off immediately and spent the whole afternoon talking: about work, about their families, anything they could think of. That night, when Cas had finally gone home, he left Dean with his number and a promise to pick a day for another date. Thinking back, Dean couldn’t remember the last time he’d had that much fun with someone. So as he stood in his kitchen with his phone in his hand and a slice of pie on his plate, he sent a text: _Wednesday looks great._

 

**Apple Pie**

Cas stood at Dean’s kitchen counter, rolling out the crust for a homemade apple pie as Dean stirred the cranberry sauce in the saucepan on the stove. It was Dean’s year to host Thanksgiving dinner and he had invited Cas to join him and his family. It would be Cas’ first time meeting Dean’s family, and he was nervous, though Dean had been very reassuring, telling him that there was nothing to worry about and that everyone would love him.

Dean, having finished cutting the strips of dough for the lattice, came up behind Castiel as he was pouring the filling into the crust and wrapped his arms comfortably around Cas’ waist, resting his chin over Cas’ shoulder. Cas rolled his eyes as Dean murmured a hello, but spun in his arms and gave him a long kiss anyway.

They were so caught up in each other that they didn’t hear the front door open or the sound of footsteps coming down the hallway until they were interrupted by a loud wolf whistle from the doorway. Dean and Cas jumped apart and Cas was sure he must have been blushing furiously as he shook the hands of Dean’s brother Sam and his wife, Eileen. He knew that Eileen was deaf and had learned a few signs, so he asked her how she and Sam were doing, getting into a conversation with them as Dean finished the pie and checked on the rest of the food while they waited for the others to arrive.

By the time dinner was finished and the pie was brought out, Cas’ nerves were completely gone and he felt at home with Dean’s family. He caught Dean’s eye next to him and smiled. Dean grabbed Cas’ hand under the table then leaned in to whisper in his ear. “Y’know, the pies we made for each other were great, but I think this one’s the best.”


	24. Cemetery Stakeout

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fandom: Parks and Rec  
> Pairing: Benslie  
> Word Count: 1,121  
> Tags: fluff, high school au, established relationship

Even in the pale, ghostly moonlight on Halloween night, Leslie looked beautiful, though Ben thought he might be a bit biased, considering he’d had a crush on her for years and had finally gotten the nerve to kiss her about two weeks earlier. They’d spent the past week in a wonderful “bubble,” as Leslie called it, the honeymoon phase of their relationship going strong.

“All right, everyone,” Leslie said, addressing their group of friends standing in a semi-circle around her. “This is the only night a year when the ghost of Miss Maisie Willow is supposed to appear. Her grave is in the back, near that giant oak tree and the fence behind the chapel. There’s no large headstone, just a small one with the initials MAW and the years of her birth and death: 1887 and 1920.” She glanced around at the group, frowning briefly at Andy, who was distracted by a headstone that simply said “Cheesman” and nothing else. Ben saw him giggle and point it out to April, who smirked and grabbed Andy’s hand.

“Anyway,” Leslie continued, tossing flashlights to everyone who needed one, “I figure it’s best if we stake out the grave in groups, each in a different area around the grave. Andy and April can take the section behind the grave, Ron, Ann, and Tom can watch from the back steps of the chapel, Donna and Jerry can be hidden behind the tombstones in front of it, and Ben and I will hide behind the oak tree. If you see anything, the signal is the call of the Eastern Bluebird. Any questions?”

Tom raised his hand and Leslie pointed at him. “What does the Eastern Bluebird sound like?” he asked, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

Leslie demonstrated and the others took a minute or two to try to imitate her before agreeing that they were ready to go and following Leslie as she made her way through the cemetery.

“Uh, Leslie, how do you know your way around in here so well?” Jerry asked after tripping and nearly falling over a broken gravestone.

“From all the dead bodies she’s buried,” April deadpanned.

Leslie was silent for a long moment. “My dad’s here,” she said finally. “I come sometimes to visit.”

Ben squeezed Leslie’s hand reassuringly as Ann rubbed her back, and no one said a word until they reached the grave in question, which was weathered and crumbling in the corners.

“Okay, guys, get in position,” Leslie said, the gleam back in her eyes. “We’ve got a ghost to catch.”

Ben glanced around at the group – Andy looked excited, as did April, much as she tried to hide it. Jerry looked a little frightened, Ron and Donna looked ready to take the ghost on, Tom looked like he was wishing he was in his queen-size bed complete with a memory foam mattress and silk sheets at home, and Ann looked a little wary but willing to be in the cemetery because it was for Leslie. Ben was very familiar with that feeling and gave her a small reassuring smile. She smiled back as Leslie dispersed the groups.

Ben followed his bright, blonde bundle of energy behind the ancient, gnarled oak tree, taking care not to trip over its extensive roots. The trunk was big enough to hide both of them behind it, and Ben and Leslie each took one side to peer out from behind of.

“Isn’t this exciting?” Leslie said in what was probably supposed to be a whisper but sounded like her normal voice.

“I guess that could be the word for it,” Ben muttered, but reached out and took Leslie’s hand anyway. She ignored his comment and squeezed his fingers.

They were silent for a few long minutes, waiting patiently for any signs of otherworldly activity. (Well, Ben was patient. Leslie was about as patient as she ever was, which was not very.). Eventually, Leslie’s hand twitched in Ben’s grasp and he glanced over at her. She was staring down intently at her watch and her expression looked like was having a very heated debate in her head.

“We’ve still got fifteen minutes before midnight,” she said, finally looking up. “You wanna… you know?” She gazed at him hopefully, and it was very obvious what she wanted.

Ben raised his eyebrows. “You wanna make out in a graveyard on Halloween?” he questioned.

The pale moonlight washed out her face, but Ben swore that Leslie was blushing. “Kinda?” she said after an awkward pause. “It’s fine if you don’t want to,” she hurried on. “I was just-”

“No, no, I do,” he broke in. “I do.”

“Oh. Okay.” Leslie’s smile was bright as she leaned in, pressing her lips to his in a soft kiss. He made a quiet sound at the touch, so warm, so confident despite the gentleness, so wonderfully _Leslie_. She was a hurricane in everything she did, and kissing was no different. Within a few seconds she was climbing into his arms and he was pulling her in, pushing his tongue into her mouth, tasting her – she always tasted like sugar; the type changed, but it was always sugar – she had her arms around his neck and his hand was threaded into her blonde curls and he felt blissed out, like he always did when they kissed, or cuddled, or even just held hands. She had always had that effect on him, but its potency had grown in the two weeks they’d been dating.

They separated for a quick breath then dove right back in, kissing like they’d been apart for years, though they hadn’t been apart for minutes since the final bell had rung at school that day. Even still, they were caught up in other like they always were. So caught up, in fact, that they lost track of time until Ben felt someone flick the back of his head. He pulled back with a start, his surroundings quickly coming back to him.

“April,” he said, fixing her with a glare that she unsurprisingly ignored.

“It’s twelve-fifteen,” she informed them. “Everyone’s ready to go, and the ghost was a no-show.” She waited a beat then raised her eyebrows slightly and added, “Or was it?”

April left to join the others and Ben looked at Leslie, whose face was showing conflicted disappointment from missing the ghost and contentment from their kissing.

“I uh… I guess there’s always next Halloween,” Ben said finally, raising his shoulders in a small shrug.

Leslie nodded. “Yeah,” she said. “Yeah, you’re right.” She gave him a smile, bright as always, then climbed off his lap and pulled him up, leading him back to where their friends were waiting.

“Next year.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact: There's a cemetery across the road from where I went to high school with a few graves that do in fact say "Cheesman."


	25. Black Cat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fandom: Supernatural  
> Pairing: Destiel  
> Word Count: 984  
> Tags: fluff, alternate universe, established relationship, married!au

The first time Dean saw the cat, it nearly scared him to death. It was a dark night, he was freezing cold and half-asleep, and all he wanted was to go to bed and preferably not wake up for another twelve hours or so. Unfortunately, as his husband oh-so-kindly reminded him right before bed, they had forgotten to put out the garbage after dinner and it was Dean’s turn to take it out. Dean had attempted to wheedle his way out of doing it this time, but between the promise of kisses and cuddling when he returned and the _you’re-my-favorite-husband_ expression on Cas’ face, it wasn’t long before he found himself walking down to the end of the driveway, garbage can in tow.

He was carefully walking back up the path to the front door and wishing he had thought to turn the carriage light on when he happened to glance at the bushes. Dean jumped in shock when he saw a pair of glowing green eyes staring back at his.

“Jesus-! Fuck!” he exclaimed loudly. He saw the eyes turn and run at his outcry and realized it was a solid black cat when it ran through a patch of moonlight.

“Damn cat,” he muttered as he finally returned to the house, willing his rapidly beating heart to slow down. He wasn’t really superstitious and didn’t care that the cat was _black_ , but instead cared about the fact that he was allergic and had never quite gotten along with felines anyway.

When he returned to his bedroom, Dean undressed silently and stepped into the bathroom. “Now, Dean, was that so bad?” a voice said idly from the bed.

Dean glared and stepped out from the bathroom, catching the attention of his husband, who put down his book and peered at him curiously.

“Yes,” he said petulantly. “Some stupid-ass cat scared the shit out of me.”

Cas burst out laughing, which only made Dean scowl harder. “I’m sorry, Dean,” Cas said, struggling to control his laughter. “It’s just – I wasn’t expecting that, and you’re standing there in just your boxers, toothbrush hanging out of your mouth, looking seriously pissed off about seeing a stray _cat_.”

Dean huffed and returned to the bathroom, spitting the toothpaste in the sink and rinsing his mouth. When he stood again he could see Cas’ reflection behind him in the mirror. “Here to laugh at me again?” he grumbled, turning around to face his husband.

Cas wrapped his arms around Dean’s neck, pulling him down for a kiss. As much as Dean intended to stay angry, he was slowly forgetting about the incident as Cas’ hands tugged on his hair before sliding down his back while he kissed Dean. When he had Dean sufficiently calmed down, Cas pulled away and tugged on his hand.

“Come to bed?” he asked hopefully, and Dean did as he was told, pulling a t-shirt over his head and a pair of flannel pajama pants on as well. Even so, Dean stubbornly refused to give up his indignation over the cat no matter how many kisses he received from Cas or how carefully Cas tucked Dean’s head under his chin and nuzzled his hair as they drifted off to sleep.

\---

A few weeks passed and Dean had almost forgotten about the cat until it showed up again. This time it found Cas first, and by the time Dean arrived on the scene, it appeared that the cat and Cas were fast friends. Cas had gone outside to rake the leaves, but when Dean went out to keep him company, he found the yard only half clean and his husband conspicuously missing.

“Cas?” he called, forehead wrinkling in confusion.

“Back here, Dean!” he heard and followed the voice. Cas was sitting on the small wrought iron bench in the side yard, stroking a familiar black cat with green eyes.

“You!” Dean growled when he noticed the cat. It blinked innocently but otherwise ignored him, its eyes reminding him of Cas and how his facial expressions could convince Dean to do or feel pretty much anything. “Yeah you, asshole,” he continued, addressing the cat when it lazily turned its head to face him.

“Dean?” Cas said, confused as he twisted around to see Dean. “What’s wrong?”

“What’s wr–? Cas, you’re – you’re consorting with the enemy.” Okay, Dean was aware of how childish that sounded, but his mind had been distracted by the two pairs of eyes staring at him.

“Consorting with the – the enemy?” Dean could tell that Cas was trying not to laugh as he returned to scratching the cat behind the ears. It nuzzled into his touch, purring loudly enough for Dean to hear. “Hey, there, sweetie,” Cas murmured as the cat stood and rubbed against him, tail standing up happily as it did so. “Just ignore him,” he added. “ _I_ like you.”

Dean could see where this was going, and he knew that when the time came, he wouldn’t be able to deny Cas the cat, especially not after he sat down behind Cas and reached a hand around his husband to stroke the cat’s back.

“You like that, don’t you, Lily?” Cas said, laughing when she rubbed her mouth across his hand.

“Lily?” Dean said, knowing it was a lost cause when he saw the pleading expression in Cas’ eyes.

“Please, Dean, can we keep her?” Dean struggled to hold back his laugh at how much like a little kid his Cas sounded. “We can get you allergy medicine, and she’ll be better off with us than roaming around as a stray.”

Dean sighed ruefully, already knowing what his answer would be. And honestly, when he woke up a few days later to find the cat trying to keep warm between Cas and him in the bed, it didn’t really surprise him. He never had been able to resist Cas.


	26. Dead End

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fandom: Supernatural  
> Pairing: Sabriel  
> Word Count: 911  
> Tags: fluff, established relationship, high school!au

“I’m going to fucking murder you, Gabe!” Sam shouted, running as fast as he could through the maze. It was a testament to his distress that his boyfriend didn’t even send back a snappy retort as he ran after Sam.

“Please, Sam, stop!” came Gabe’s shouted reply, but Sam ignored it and kept going. One of the advantages of being the (significantly) taller one in the relationship was that he could easily out stride his much shorter boyfriend, something that came in handy every once in a while. Unfortunately, though, Gabriel was short but quick and rarely had much trouble catching up to Sam, as he did now. Sam felt Gabe grab his hand to try to slow him down, but kept running anyway, albeit at a slightly slower pace. “Sam!” Gabriel exclaimed again. “I’m _sorry_!”

At that, Sam finally stopped and turned, though the lack of warning meant it took another second for Gabriel to stop too, causing him to yank Sam’s arm forward and pull the taller boy down. Sam crashed into Gabriel, who staggered but managed to hold his weight, pulling him into a tight hug. “I’m really sorry,” he murmured immediately into Sam’s ear. “I didn’t know.” He rubbed Sam’s back comfortingly and Sam found himself relaxing into the touch despite his continued apprehension.

“Well, feel free to laugh now,” Sam muttered, fully expecting his goofball of a boyfriend to take advantage of this newly discovered weakness. He glanced up, surprised, when Gabriel pulled back all of a sudden, fixing him with a frown.

“Why would I laugh at you?” he asked, genuinely confused.

Sam stuttered. “I don’t know, I thought – it’s stupid, so… I just… you know…”

Gabriel stopped him with a finger to his lips. Sam glanced down in surprise and when he looked back up, Gabe was staring at him with concern. “Sam,” he said sincerely, “if something scares you so much that you freak out and take off running as fast as you can in the opposite direction, it’s a legitimate fear. I wouldn’t make fun of that.”

Sam started to mumble something against his finger, but Gabe replaced the finger with his lips, kissing Sam briefly in order to shut him up.

“Listen to me,” he said when he pulled back. He stroked a hand through Sam’s hair, and Sam leaned into the touch as Gabe continued. “If I had known, I wouldn’t have brought you here. I’m sorry for that, and I promise I’ll make it up to you.” There was a slight glint in his eye at that, enough to distract Sam by making him curious as to what “making it up to him” would entail. “We’re gonna leave now,” Gabe continued, “and we’re gonna go back to my house, and make hot chocolate, and then we’re gonna curl up on the sofa and watch _The Nightmare Before Christmas_ or something. Sound good?”

“ _Gabe_ ,” Sam said gratefully, eyes shining with affection.

“C’mon,” Gabe replied, taking Sam's hand firmly in his and leading him back down the path. The bushes stood dark and ominous around them and Sam felt a shiver run down his back involuntarily. He had never been more eager to leave somewhere, so it figured when all of a sudden Gabe pulled up short with a small “Uh oh.”

“What?” Sam asked, but he only had to look up to see the problem. They had come to a dead end.

“It seems we have a problem,” Gabe said, stating the obvious.

“No shit, Sherlock,” Sam muttered.

“Don’t worry, Sam, we’ll get out,” Gabriel assured him, glancing around them until he finally tilted his head interestedly. Without warning, he flipped their positions and pressed closer to Sam, nudging him nearer to the bushes as his lips eagerly searched for Sam’s in the dark.

“Gabe, what’re you–?” Sam tried to say, but it was difficult with Gabe’s insistence on kissing him.

“Relax, Sam,” Gabriel murmured against his lips. “Had to give you one good memory here before we go.”

He pressed Sam back again, and yeah, it was October, and cold, and they were technically in public, and Sam had just run for his life from a clown carrying a chainsaw, but he found all of that slipping his mind as Gabriel held him close.

“We’re still in a dead end,” Sam reminded him eventually, reluctantly pulling out of the kiss.

“Listen, Sammoose,” Gabriel said. Sam did as he was told and found he could hear people talking on the other side of the bushes.

“Is that–?”

“We’re on the edge of the maze. That’s the line outside. We can just slip under the bushes and get out of here,” Gabe said confidently. Sam was on the ground immediately, crawling under the shrubs with his boyfriend in close pursuit.

\---

Later that night, as Sam laid on the sofa tucked into his boyfriend’s arms, he tilted his head to gaze at Gabriel. “Gabe?” he said hesitantly, afraid of ruining the mood.

“Hmm?” Gabriel replied, meeting Sam’s eyes.

“I’m sorry I ruined our date,” he said, willing himself not to break the eye contact.

“ _Sam_ ,” Gabriel warned, fixing him with a no-nonsense stare. “You didn’t ruin anything. Besides, this–” he gestured to the two of them on the sofa “–is perfect. Way better than some haunted maze. Okay?”

“Okay,” Sam said, burying his face against Gabe’s chest again as his eyes returned to the movie. He smiled.


	27. Underneath the Sky

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fandom: Supernatural  
> Pairing: Destiel  
> Word Count: 836  
> Tags: fluff, alternate universe, first kiss, high school!au, friends to lovers

There were many things that Dean loved about his best friend’s house, but this had to be his favorite. When the Novak’s had moved in across the street from Dean’s family ten years before, Cas’ older brother Gabriel had gotten first dibs on a bedroom. He had, unsurprisingly, picked the largest of the three available bedrooms, which meant that Cas was stuck with a smaller room in the corner of the house facing the woods behind the backyard. But although Cas’ room was smaller, Dean liked it better: it was more secluded from the rest of the house, it had a great view that didn’t include creepy Dick Roman’s home (Dean couldn’t count the number of times he’d heard Gabriel complain about what he could see through the windows of the house next door), and best of all, it was above the enclosed porch in the backyard, and the roof was conveniently right under one of Cas’ windows.

For years, he and Cas had been climbing out onto the relatively flat roof, which felt like a completely different world, to hang out. It was their own private thing; Dean knew that Cas would never bring anyone else out with him, and wasn’t even sure if Cas’ parents were aware of what their son and his best friend had been doing for most of their lives. It was likely that they wouldn’t approve, so it remained a secret. When they were younger, Dean and Cas would make up stories as they laid on the roof and watched the clouds in the sky or, at night, the stars, though now that they were older, they mostly used the time to talk: about school, about what they ate for lunch, about life, no subject was off-limits. In fact, it was on the roof that Cas revealed to Dean that he was attracted to guys, and Dean revealed that he was planning to work his way through college despite his dad’s insistence that he live off of a steady job as a mechanic at his uncle’s auto parts shop. Many of their most important conversations took place on the roof of the Novak’s porch and Dean couldn’t imagine a time when he and Cas _wouldn’t_ do this.

He was drawn out of his thoughts by Cas clambering out of the window to join him, bringing a pillow and a second blanket with him. Dean had already laid out one blanket for them to lie on top of and was reclined against his own pillow. Cas made himself comfortable, pressing closer to Dean than was really necessary, even if they _were_ trying to share body heat in the chilly October air. Dean honestly didn’t mind though; he had recently admitted to himself that he was pretty much in love with his best friend, and was torn between admitting it with hope that the feelings were reciprocated or burying it deep inside himself where he could pretend it wouldn’t hurt when Cas hypothetically got a boyfriend someday. Even so, he couldn’t help himself as his fingers found their way to Cas’ arm, drawing nonsensical patterns into the sleeve of his hoodie as they gazed at the sky together. In response, Cas sighed and burrowed deeper against Dean, whose heart gave an excited thump at the feeling of Cas pressed against him.

He was nearly silent for a while as they laid on the roof and pointing out easy constellations, all while Cas gave Dean an extended explanation for meteors and how they formed. Dean didn’t particularly care about meteors, but he loved when Cas rambled on about a subject and found himself listening raptly.

As Cas continued talking, Dean could feel him shiver a few times even under the hoodie and blanket. Dean responded by pulling the boy closer to him, close enough that Cas’ head was resting on Dean’s chest, right above his heart. “Can’t let you freeze,” he mumbled in explanation, even though Cas had given him no sign of complaint.

“S’alright, Dean,” Cas murmured back. He chuckled lightly, and Dean could feel the movement from it in his chest. “God, I love you,” Cas added easily as an afterthought. Dean’s breath caught and Cas seemed to have realized what he’d said because he froze in Dean’s arms. “Shit, I didn’t mean to – I mean, you weren’t supposed to–”

“Hey, Cas?” Dean interrupted, and Castiel finally fell silent.

“What, Dean?” Cas asked, sounding nervous.

Dean finally swallowed the butterflies and did something that he’d been wanting to do for a long time. He pulled Castiel tighter against him and lifted his head to pull him in for a kiss.

“Hmph, Dean, what are you–? _Dean_ …” Castiel sighed as he finally got the message, happily returning the kiss as he rolled the rest of his body over.

“Hey, Cas?” Dean said again, and this time, Cas’ “What, Dean?” sounded a lot more relaxed.

“I love you too,” Dean responded, and Cas eagerly tilted his head up for another kiss.


	28. Full Moon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fandom: Supernatural  
> Pairing: Destiel  
> Word Count: 768  
> Tags: fluff, hurt/comfort, canon divergence, post-canon, established relationship

Dean was nowhere to be seen when Castiel stepped out of the bathroom to get dressed after his shower, but it didn’t take very long to find him. He was, as Castiel had suspected, sitting on the steps of their back porch, staring aimlessly at the horizon, where the sun had almost completely set.

“Dean?” Castiel said softly, announcing his presence as he closed the back door carefully behind him.

Dean didn’t move as Castiel slowly made his way to the steps and sat down beside Dean. He pressed a tender kiss against Dean’s freckled shoulder, which was bare and glowing golden in the soft evening light, and then wrapped an arm around his husband’s back. Dean hummed quietly but still said nothing, though Castiel felt Dean’s muscles relax slightly.

“Dean,” Castiel said again, pressing a soft kiss to the side of his stubbled jaw. “I love you,” he said firmly. “I love you more than anything I’ve ever known. You are worth everything that has ever happened to me.”

Castiel heard a sharp inhale but Dean still didn’t speak.

“You love so deeply, Dean,” Castiel continued, placing a row of kisses on his skin, starting from his neck and then working his way across Dean’s shoulder and down his arm. “You care so deeply,” he added. “You are the reason I have a family. You’re the reason Sam went back to school.” He paused. “You are the reason that Sam turned out so well.”

That got a slight nod of acknowledgement from Dean, which was an improvement for sure, but Castiel could see that his jaw was still clenched tightly and he looked like he was holding back tears.

Castiel sighed and stood, pulling his t-shirt off easily and dropping it onto the steps. “Look at me, Dean,” he said.

Dean hesitated but finally did as Castiel requested, looking up and wincing at the sight. Castiel knew what Dean saw: the long, thin scars that marred his torso from his navel to his chest and the one that sliced diagonally up and around his side. Dean was hunched over, but Castiel could still see the single scar across Dean’s chest that matched Castiel’s. It had been nearly ten years, but every so often, around the right time of the month, Dean would fall back into his long-time habit of self-hatred, and Castiel would hold him and talk to him, doing everything he could to reassure him.

“It wasn’t your fault, Dean,” Castiel said firmly, catching Dean’s eye and refusing to break contact. Dean said nothing for a few seconds before he finally spoke.

“It was too soon.”

“Maybe,” Castiel conceded, “but I insisted. It was _my_ decision, Dean. If anyone is to blame, it’s me. But I don’t blame myself anymore, and I certainly don’t blame you.”

“You should.” Dean’s voice was barely above a whisper.

“No, I shouldn’t,” Castiel asserted. “I shouldn’t and I don’t. I mean everything that I just told you. Everything, even this–” he gestured to the scars, which Dean couldn’t seem to tear his eyes away from “–was worth it to be with you, to have you.”

Castiel saw Dean swallow thickly and knelt down in front of him. Lightly, he traced the pale scar on Dean’s chest and then took Dean’s hand and brought it to his own collection of scars, the result of a werewolf hunt gone bad soon after Castiel fell from heaven. Dean took a breath and trailed his fingers tenderly over the raised lines, frowning slightly as he brushed over each one individually and then spread his palm and skimmed over all of the scars without stopping. He continued tracing Castiel’s scars for another minute, finally starting to slowly smile.

“You’re so beautiful,” he murmured, meeting Castiel’s eye again. “My beautiful angel.”

Castiel smiled softly at that, reaching out to cup Dean’s jaw in his hand. “We’re alive,” he said. “We’re alive and we have a home together. That’s all that matters, and I don’t regret anything it took to get us here.”

Dean nodded, finally starting to look convinced, and Castiel leaned forward slowly to press a gentle kiss against Dean’s lips, feeling Dean tilt his head and accept it eagerly. By the time the sun had completely set and the fall night air had grown chilly, the two men were shivering despite their shared body heat and Castiel had no trouble convincing Dean to come to bed.

That night, the full moon glowed brightly behind drawn curtains, but even so, the former hunter and former angel slept peacefully, cradled in each other’s arms.


	29. Carving Jack o' Lanterns

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fandom: Supernatural  
> Pairings: Sabriel, Destiel  
> Word Count: 621  
> Tags: fluff, alternate universe, high school au, established relationship

Gabriel arrived at Sam’s door with a grin on his face and a pumpkin in his hand.

“Let the pumpkin carving commence!” he announced, making his way to the kitchen and out the back door as Sam followed easily behind him. On the porch, Sam’s older brother Dean and Dean’s boyfriend Castiel were curled up on the wicker sofa, their finished pumpkins perched on either side of the steps to the yard.

Gabriel set his pumpkin down on the newspaper-covered table, out of the way of the pumpkin guts in the corner, and turned as he sensed Sam put his own pumpkin down next to Gabe’s. Sam reached across the table to grab Sharpies for both of them and handed one to Gabe.

“Thanks,” Gabe said, giving Sam a quick peck on the lips. He immediately got to work sketching out what he wanted to draw on a blank spot on the newspaper before starting to redraw it onto the pumpkin, frowning slightly in concentration as he did so. He heard Dean and Cas talking and Sam cut into their conversation at one point but he wasn’t listening closely, choosing to focus on his getting his design right. When he was satisfied with his work, he turned, smiling, to Sam, only to find his boyfriend staring at the pumpkin with what appeared to be mingled disbelief and confusion etched across his face.

“Uh, Gabe…” Sam said finally. “What is that?”

Gabriel frowned. "Is it that bad?” he asked, disappointed. “You can’t tell what it is?”

“Oh, no, I can tell what it is,” Sam said, still staring.

“Well then why’d you ask?” Gabriel replied indignantly.

“I just… A bunny, babe? Why did you draw a bunny?”

“So I know where to carve, dumbass,” Gabriel retorted. “Why do you think?”

“No, I meant, why are you _carving_ a bunny?”

“Why not?” Gabriel replied as he grabbed a knife off the table and began cutting into the top of the pumpkin.

“Jack o’ lanterns are supposed to be scary,” Sam explained.

“Says who?” Gabe said, finishing the circle around the stem and pulling the top off. “I like the bunny. I think he’s cute.” He reached a hand in and fished out some guts as Sam struggled for words.

“He’s not supposed to be cute!” Sam said finally. “He’s supposed to be creepy!”

 Gabe turned away from Sam and dropped the guts on the table. “It’s my pumpkin; I can do what I want,” he said firmly. “And I want a bunny.”

“But – that’s not – Dean, tell him!”

Dean lifted his head off of Castiel’s shoulder. "Tell who what?”

“Tell Gabe his pumpkin is supposed to be scary!”

Dean peered at Gabriel’s drawing and grinned. He nudged Cas and pointed to the pumpkin. “Looks like something you would make!” he said, grin widening when Castiel smiled.

“It does, doesn’t it?” Cas mused, tilting his head. “I like it.”

“Me too,” Dean agreed.

“You’re taking his side?” Sam said, sounding mildly betrayed.

“He can do whatever he wants,” Dean said with a shrug. “S’his pumpkin.”

Gabriel grinned. “Suck it, Sammy,” he crowed, making the first incision on his line. “I’m carving a bunny.”

\---

On the night of Halloween, Sam, Gabriel, Dean, and Cas sat out on the Winchesters’ front porch, jack o’ lanterns displayed proudly on the railing, as they handed out candy to the trick or treaters. Gabe could tell that Sam was still annoyed about him carving a bunny, especially when it received more excited comments than any of the other pumpkins, but figured the heated make-out session he was planning for later would distract Sam enough to forget about that.

(At least until Gabriel teased him about it the next day.)


	30. Costume Party

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fandom: Supernatural  
> Pairings: Destiel, Sabriel (background)  
> Word Count: 1,085  
> Tags: fluff, alternate universe, first meeting, first kiss, established Sam/Gabriel and Charlie/Gilda, strangers to lovers

“Nice outfit.”

Dean glanced up briefly from adjusting his chain mail to shoot a smug look at his brother. “You love it,” he said, taking one last look in the mirror before turning around to face Sam. “And you’re supposed to be?” he asked, smirking at the dirty look he received in return.

“ _Sam_ happens to be a very strong, stunning moose,” a voice interrupted them. The brothers turned to face the newcomer, who sauntered up to Sam and gave him an affectionate kiss. “My Sammoose.”

“Gross,” Dean muttered, making a face.

“What’s the matter, Dean-o, don’t have a hot date to make out with?” Gabriel, Sam’s boyfriend, smirked knowingly at Dean.

“Shut up,” Dean retorted, wishing he had a better comeback.

“Make me,” Gabriel started to say, but he was cut off by a smack to the head. “Ow,” he complained, rubbing the spot. “Charlie, what the hell?”

Charlie, who had just walked into the room, just gave him a look and said, “You deserved that.” He stuck his tongue out but said nothing. “Besides,” Charlie added. “No one makes fun of my handmaiden and gets away with it.” Gabriel and Sam chuckled as Dean made a face.

“Why do I have to be your handmaiden?” Dean complained. “Can’t I be the weapons keeper or something?”

“Sorry,” Charlie said with a shrug. “Everyone has to start from the bottom.”

“Everyone?” Dean asked. “I’m your best friend!” Charlie just gave him another sympathetic shrug and Dean shook his head. Actually, he loved his costume; he and Charlie were dressed as the queen of Moondoor and her handmaiden from the LARPing game that Charlie loved and had recently gotten Dean into.

“Is everyone ready?” They four of them were interrupted by Gilda, Charlie’s girlfriend, who was dressed as a fairy. They all agreed and set out down the street to the Milton’s house. The Milton’s were out of town but their daughter Anna was throwing a huge Halloween party that was guaranteed to be amazing, as the family always went all out on holiday decorations.

Music could be heard from outside of the house and the group eagerly pushed their way in. The house was dark and decorated to look like an old, haunted museum, complete with cobwebs, creepy paintings hanging on the walls, and busts of stern-looking men and women. Dean nodded, impressed, as they entered. He turned away from admiring the decorations, intending to say something to his friends, but they were gone, and he frowned and glanced around the room for a minute before finally spotting his brother.

Apparently, Gabriel had dragged Sam over to the makeshift dancefloor, where they were moving and twisting in a way that could only barely be called dancing. They were all over the place and it looked like they were having a contest to see who could look more ridiculous. Dean chuckled and searched for Charlie and Gilda instead. It wasn’t long before he saw them; they had found their friend Kevin, who was dressed as Frankenstein, and the three of them were chatting away in the corner about who knew what. Dean hadn’t expected to be deserted this quickly, but he had to admit it wasn’t the first time. Being the permanent fifth wheel in their group of friends was awkward, but he’d had a lot of practice dealing with it. He decided to head for the kitchen for a beer and to see if he could find anyone he knew. It was the perfect plan.

Until he carried it through, that was.

Apparently, everyone but him had gotten the unofficial memo to bring a date, or at least come with friends who wouldn’t desert them. He walked through the kitchen, living room, family room, and basement, watching all the couples interact and concluding that, yeah, he was the only one who was alone. Normally the fact that he wasn’t dating anyone didn’t bother him, but it was impossible to see all these people and not feel a little lonely. He didn’t dare go upstairs – he knew what happened at Anna’s parties and the last thing he wanted was to be scarred permanently – so instead he decided to head outside to the porch for some fresh air. The cool night was a welcome respite after the heat of the party and Dean took a deep breath, gratefully inhaling the crisp, clean air.

“Feels nice, doesn’t it?”

The question came out of nowhere and Dean jumped. It was only then that he realized there was already a guy hanging out by the porch railing. “Shit, dude, you scared me!” he exclaimed.

The guy turned around and gave Dean an apologetic smile. “Sorry, it was an accident,” he said honestly.

“S’okay,” Dean said. This guy – this extremely attractive guy, he noted upon closer look – was the only solo person he’d seen at the party so far. He wasn’t about to give this opportunity up, especially when he realized the guy was dressed as Indiana Jones.

“So,” Dean said, crossing the porch to stand beside the guy. “I think we’re the only two single people at this party. You’d think it was Valentine’s Day.”

Mystery Guy chuckled, nodding. “I didn’t realize a date was required until I got here,” he agreed.

“Yeah,” Dean said. “I came with my brother and my best friend, as well as their SO’s. They basically deserted me as soon as I walked in.”

“Likewise,” the guy replied. “I came with my best friend, who promptly left me for a girl in his economics class.”

“Ouch,” Dean commiserated. “I mean,” he continued, “I’m pretty used to it by now, but…” He trailed off, hoping the mystery guy would catch his drift.

“Me too. This is hardly the first time it’s happened,” the guy replied. All of a sudden, he stuck out his hand for Dean to shake. “Castiel,” he said, introducing himself.

“Dean,” Dean responded, taking the offered hand. It was warm and strong, and he found himself not wanting to let go. Apparently, Castiel felt the same way because instead of letting go, he curled their fingers together, eyes asking Dean’s permission, which was quickly granted.

“So, Castiel…” Dean said, leaning back against the railing and switching their hands so that Castiel could lean up next to him. “I like your choice of costumes.”

 

(As for Gabriel’s gibe about not having a hot date to make out with… The embrace that he and Sam found them in later that night immediately proved _that_ wrong.)


	31. Trick or Treat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fandom: Supernatural  
> Pairing: Sabriel  
> Word Count: 1,206  
> Tags: fluff, established relationship, canon!verse, husbands, parents

“Trick or treat!” Six-year-old Hazel Winchester held a mostly filled bag of candy up for her neighbors to see. She grinned as the old woman dropped a few mini candy bars into the bag. “Thanks!” she exclaimed before running back down the steps to where her dads were waiting patiently. “Look, Dad!” she said excitedly, picking out one of the candy bars to show him. “It’s your favorite,” she added, dropping it into his palm. He grinned and stuck it in his jacket pocket for later.

“Having fun, sweet pea?” Gabriel reached down to grab his daughter’s hand before they crossed the street.

“Yeah!” she exclaimed excitedly. “I have like a gazillion candy bars!”

“A gazillion, huh?” Gabriel asked, sharing an amused look with his husband, Sam. “That’s a lot of candy for a little girl. You might just have to give some to me.” He grinned as she narrowed her eyes warily at him.

“I will give you a _few_ candy bars,” she said. “But Papa always buys you your own bag anyway.”

Gabriel shrugged but didn’t deny it. “You can never have too much candy.”

He heard a snort from his right as Hazel agreed confidently and turned his head toward Sam. “She gets her sweet tooth from you,” Sam said, shaking his head. “How’d I get stuck with the two biggest candy lovers in the world?”

“Just means we’re sweeter than your average person,” Gabriel said with a smirk as Hazel climbed the steps to another house.

Sam snorted again. “If you say so,” he replied with his own smirk.

Gabriel rose on his toes to give Sam a quick kiss. “You know it’s true,” he said.

Sam licked his lips. “Did you just eat a peanut butter cup?”

“Good call,” Gabriel said, impressed.

“I haven't been married to you for eight years for nothing,” Sam said teasingly.

“And dating for two years before that,” Gabriel added.

“God, ten years with you? What was I thinking?” Sam joked, nudging Gabriel's shoulder with his elbow.

“I would assume you were thinking you  _loved_  me, but you won’t let me see into that moose-sized noggin of yours, so…” Gabriel grinned at Sam, who chuckled.

“Yeah, I guess I do,” he acquiesced. He leaned down to give Gabriel another affectionate kiss, which was soon interrupted by Hazel’s return.

“That lady gave me an extra candy bar ‘cause she said she liked my costume!” Hazel said proudly. She had made the butterfly costume almost all by herself, with a little help and supervision from her dads.

“It’s a beautiful costume,” Sam said. “And you made it yourself, which makes it even more special.” Hazel smiled happily at his praise and skipped up the driveway to the next house.

Suddenly, Sam snickered and pointed to a young woman sitting at the end of her driveway next door with a bowl of candy. “Aw, Gabe, look, it's your girlfriend!”

Gabriel gave him a dirty look. “That woman is  _not_  my girlfriend.”

Sam just laughed harder as Gabriel scowled. The woman in question, Megan Wilkinson, had a serious crush on Gabriel and flirted with him any time she saw him, not caring if Sam was there or not. At first, Sam had been a bit territorial, but he trusted Gabriel and knew he wasn’t interested. By now, Sam was used to it and thought it was funny, while it still annoyed Gabriel to no end. “What part of married with a kid does she not understand?” he’d lamented on more than one occasion, frequently followed by, “Can’t I use my archangel powers to kick her ass?”

Every time, Sam would reassure him that some people were just generally clueless, he shouldn’t worry about it, and no, as long as she wasn’t a direct threat, Gabriel was not allowed to use his powers on her. Still, every time they interacted, it was a struggle to control himself. Surely a large, hairy spider in the shower wouldn’t hurt anyone, right? Unfortunately, Sam was adamant about not retaliating, so Gabriel was stuck dealing with the woman indefinitely.

As they approached Megan’s house, Hazel ran ahead to get her candy, catching up with a friend of hers from school who was out trick or treating as well. Megan looked up, noticed Gabriel standing there (funny how she always seemed to look right through Sam and Hazel), and instantly broke out into a wide smile. “Gabe!” she called, waving excitedly.

Gabriel gave her a tight-lipped smile. “Megan,” he greeted her politely as he stopped in front of the table.

She stood and gave him a tight hug, oblivious to his obvious discomfort. She pulled back, but not before giving him a quick slap on the ass. His eyes widened in surprise and he heard Sam conceal a laugh as a cough.

As she was briefly distracted by a friend of hers from down the street, Gabriel turned to Sam and muttered, “How about she gives me a treat and to seal the deal, I give her a trick?” With a flick of his hand a skeleton materialized on her porch, ready and waiting for her to return to the house.

“Gabe,” Sam chided quietly. “Get rid of the skeleton.”

Gabriel gave him his most innocent look but Sam just stared at him pointedly. Finally, he relented and the skeleton disappeared into shimmering blue light with a wave of his hand. “Killjoy,” he muttered. Sam laughed and wrapped his arms around Gabe’s waist, pressing a kiss into his wavy hair.

Just then, Megan’s friend left and she was suddenly back standing in front of them. “You know,” she said to Gabriel, “I’m having a little get-together with some friends this weekend, come over for drinks kind of thing. You should stop by.”

“Oh, you know what?” Sam interrupted, mock-apologetically. “He would _love_ to, but he’s already got more important things to do. Like me.”

Gabriel snickered as Megan’s eyes suddenly widened. Just in case she hadn’t gotten Sam’s hint, Gabe rose on his toes to give Sam as deep a kiss as he dared to give in public, smiling against Sam’s lips as they successfully reduced Megan to incoherent stuttering.

As they finally broke apart and left, Gabriel snapped his fingers, leaving behind a large, eight-legged present. It was worth it to hear her scream, even when Sam elbowed him sharply. “What?” he complained as Sam lectured him about not using his powers on innocent people.

“Innocent?!” he protested. “She’s blatantly flirting with a married angel!”

“I know, babe, but still.” Sam gave him the puppy eyes that Gabriel never could resist.

Gabriel sighed and snapped his fingers, making the spider disappear into the same blue light that the skeleton had. “You’re no fun,” he complained, gazing pitifully at Sam as Hazel reappeared and grabbed his hand. Vaguely, he thought he heard Megan try to explain the spider to the worried crowd gathered around her, and reluctantly smiled and couldn’t help but laugh as she grew more and more flustered, trying to explain a spider that, to the people around her, didn’t exist.

“Don’t mess with the Trickster,” he said proudly as he continued down the street, Hazel on one side and Sam on the other.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't believe this is the last one already! Thank you to everyone who left kudos and comments - they all mean a lot to me!

**Author's Note:**

> Come find me on Tumblr at [thetideseternaltune](http://thetideseternaltune.tumblr.com/) (main blog) or [hunterangelkisses](http://hunterangelkisses.tumblr.com/) (SPN sideblog)!


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